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OTHER  DAYS  IN  GREENWICH 


LIMITED  EDITION 


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OTHER   DAYS  IN 
"  GREENWICH 

OR 

TALES  AND  HK.MIMSCENCES  OF 
AN    OLD    NEW    EN(iLAND    TOWN 


«Y 


FREDERIC  K  A.  HUBBARD 


NEW   YORK 
J.  F.  TAPLEV  COMPANY 

1913 


Copyright.  1913 
Bv  FREDERICK  A.  HUBBARD 


J.    F.  TAPLEV  CO. 

NEW   roRK 


In  my  days  of  hoyliood  and  youtli,  a  running 
mate,  as  we  called  liini.  belonged  to  every  one. 

There  was  always  some  congenial  spirit, 
who  shared  confidences,  excursions  and  social 
events,  who.  in  school  and  out,  was  a  recog- 
nized conip.iiiioii. 

TO 

MV     OLD    KIXNIXG     MATK 

E.  BELCHER   MEAD 

THIS    VOU'ME 
IS    AFFECTIONATELY     DEDICATED 


'T   NEVER  learned  the  -wonder  of  that  lane. 

Drenched  with  the  Stimmer  rain. 
Where  through  my  boyish  feet   were  xcont  to  pass. 
Until  I  left  it  for  the  passionate  totcn, 
Marble  and  iron  and  brass. 

Filled  with  all  laughter;  yea,  and  filled,  alas, 
With  life's  immortal  pain!" 

Charles  Hanson  Towne 


FREDEHICK  A.  HUBBARD 
The  iVuthor 
Plioto  hv  E.  Starr  Sant'ord 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  TAGE 

ILiLUSTKATIONS '^1" 

iNTUODrCTION >^VU 

I  The  Village 1 

II  Commercial  Greenwich 17 

III  The  Town 25 

IV  The  White   Bridge 54 

V  Banksville  and  Stanwich 61 

VI  The  Davis  Dock 68 

VII        ROCKRIDGE    AND    DkARFIELD ^'3 

VIII  Theodore  H.  Mead  Farm 86 

IX  The  Titus  Mead  Farm 92 

X  The   Second  Congregational  Church       .  100 
XI  The   Story  oe  a  Street — ^Greenwich  Ave- 
nue     117 

XII  W^AR   Times 125 

XIII  Rev.  William  H.  H.  Murray     .       .       .       .14-1 

XIV  Along  Ptttnam  Avenue 153 

XV  The  Days  of  Boss  Tweed 161 

X\'I  William  M.  Tweed  in  Greenwich   .       .       .  180 

XVII  LiNwooi) — the  John  Romer       ....  202 

XVIII  The  Tweed   Family 21 T 

XIX  The  Escape  of  William  .M.  Twkkd      .       .  225 

XX  The  Old  Town  Halt 23S 

XXI  The  Lewis  and  Mason  Families      .       .       .  244 

XXII      The  Old  Black  Walnut  Tree       .       .       .    250 

[xi] 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER 

PAGE 

XXIII 

Rocky  Neck — the  Silleck  House  . 

.    256 

XXIV 

Railroads  in  the  Early  Days    . 

.    266 

XXV 

Riverside  and  Sound  Beach 

.    280 

XXVI 

The  Octagon   House 

.    286 

XXVII 

The  Old  Mill  at  Stonybrooke 

.    291 

XXVIII 

The  Old  Mill  at  Davis  Landing  . 

.    299 

XXIX 

The  Ancient  Highways        .... 

.    306 

XXX 

Belle  Haven 

.      322 

Index       

331 

LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

Banksville  Stage    . Frontispiece 

PAGE 

Frederick  A.   Hubbard ix 

Daniel  S.  Mead 3 

D.  Smith  Mead  Driving  Cows  to  Pasture 5 

S.  Merwin  Mead  Homestead 6 

S.   Merwin    Mead 7 

Alvan  Mead 8 

Luther  Prescott  Hubbard 9 

L.  P.  Hubbard  Homestead 11 

Stephen  A.  Stoothoff 12 

Zaccheus  Mead  Lane 13 

Deep  Hole 15 

Post  Office,    1859 18 

Post  Office,    1861 19 

Joseph   E.   Brush 20 

John   Dayton 21 

First  Business  Building  Erected  on  Greenwich  Avenue,  185i  22 

Abraham  Reynolds 26 

Captain   Caleb  Holmes 26 

Augustus  N.  Reynolds 27 

Stephen   L.   Radford 28 

Jonas    Mead   Homestead 29 

Milo  Mead 30 

Deacon   Jonas   Mead 31 

\\'indsor  Chair  used  by  Deacon  Jonas  Mead 32 

John  R.  Grigg     .       .  " 33 

Judge  Augustus  Mead 34 

Homestead  of  Augustus  Mead  in  1859 35 

Squire   Samuel  Close 36 

Oliver   Mead    Homestead 39 

Miss   Sally   Mead 41 

Oliver   Mead 42 

Pottery  made  by  Deacon  Abraham  Mead,  1790      ....  43 

The  White   Bridge,   1861 55 

Church  at  Banksville 62 

The  Stanwich  Church,  Shubel  Brush  Homestead   ....  63 

William  Brush   Homestead 64 

Old  Inn  at  Stanwich 67 

[xiiil 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


"Dtarfield's"  Thos.  A.  Mead  Homestead 74 

Thomas  A.  Mead 75 

Zaccheus  Mead  Homestead 77 

Zaccheus  Mead  2nd 79 

Nathaniel  Witherell 81 

Buttermilk    Falls 91 

Titus  Mead  Homestead 93 

Mrs.  Luc\'  ^lumford  Mead 94 

Putnam   Cottage 95 

Solomon    Mead 97 

Robert  Williams  Mead 101 

Second  Congregational  Church  in   1879 103 

Insets:   Rev.   Dr.   Joel    H.   Linsley 

Rev.   Dr.    P'rederick  G.   Clark 
Rev.   Dr.   George  A.   Gordon 
Early   Church    Buildings 113 

Inset:     Rev.  Joel  Mann 
Rockefeller  Park  in  1860 
Henry  M.  Benedict 
Shadrach  M.  Brush 
Captain   W.   L.  Lyon 
Elnathan  Husted 
Alvord  Peck    . 
Isaac  L.  Mead 
Corporal  William   Bird 
William  Purdy 
Serg.  Caleb  Holmes 

John   Bush   Matthews      '. 129 

James    Gerald 129 

Major  D.  M.  Mead 130 

Lieut.  Thomas  R.  Mead 
Henry  H.  Mead 

Silas  E.  Mead  ^ 131 

Lieut.  David  W.  INIead 
William  Morrison 

L.  P.  Hubbard,  Jr 133 

William   Smith 134 

Lyman    Mead 134 

Captain  Selleck  L.  White 
Corporal  Alexander  Ferris 

Lieut.  W.  Iv.  Savage  \- 135 

Serg.  Norvel  Green 
Corporal  Willis  H.  Wilcox 

James  H.  Hovt,  M.D 137 

fxiv] 


116 
119 
121 
123 
126 
126 

127 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

Charks   H.   Staniaii 1  .S7 

Lieut.    Bfiijainin    ^^'l•i<i■|lt 188 

Colonc]  Otis 1.S9 

Serg.    A\'illi.-im    I.oiiy IK) 

Amos  Mead   Lvoii IK) 

Rev.  W.  M.  H".  Murray I  KJ 

Thomas  Riteli I  t>s 

Mrs.   W.   H.   H.    Murray 119 

Residence  of  Beale  N.  Lewis 154 

Dr.  Wm.  G.  Peck 156 

William  M.  Tweed 168 

Tweed's  Island.  1871 I-S'i 

Captain  Brinckerlioff 184 

Americus  Club  House 185 

The  Tweed   Bath  House 189 

Daniel  S.    Mead.   Jr 190 

H.  W.  R.  Hoyt.  1869 190 

Judge  Heusted  W.  R.  Hoyt 191 

H.  W.  R.  Hoyt  at  age  of  20 19.S 

Philander  Button 194 

Dr.  L.  P.  Jones 195 

Joseph  G.  Merritt 196 

T.  F.  Secor 206 

Ca]itain   Thomas   Mayo 207 

Sanford   Mead 208 

Steph.en  G.  Wliite 209 

Frank  Shepard 220 

James    Elphick 230 

Town  Hall 234 

George    J.    Smith 235 

Town  Hall  in   1878 236 

Robert   M.    Bruce 237 

Amos  M.  Brush 241 

Miss  Sarah  Lewis 247 

Dr.    Darius   Mead 248 

Sackett   Homestead 251 

Reserved  Lot  in  1876.  Epliraini  Head  Homestead  and  Marble 

House 261 

John   G.   Wellstood 264 

Locomotive  No.  27 267 

Moses    Cristy 268 

New  York  Terminals  of  the   New   Haven  and   HarUui   Rail- 
roads in   1848  and  1871 271 

Greenwich  R.  R.  Station,  1859 273 

William  H.  Wallace  at  age  of  16 275 

Ixv] 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

Charles  H.  Wriglit  at  24 276 

\^'illiam  H.  Wallace  as  Assistant  Superintendent  Xew  Haven 

R.   R 277 

Looking  down  the  Harbor  in  1859 279 

Luke  A.   Loekwood 282 

Amasa   A.   Marks 283 

The  Octagon  House 287 

Brush   Knapp 289 

The  Old  Mill  at  Stonybrooke 
Inset:   Edmund   Mead    1st 

Edmund   Mead   2nd 293 

Lower    Falls,  Stonybrooke 295 

Snapshots  at  Stonybrooke 297 

The  Old  Mill  at  Davis  Landing,  1868 301 

Woodsev   Road 307 

Round  Hill  Woodshed 308 

Isaac  Howe  Mead 309 

Charles  Mead 310 

Edward  Mead 311 

Edward  Mead  Homestead 311 

Joseph   Brush 312 

Joseph  Brush  Homestead 313 

Hollv  Inn,  Cos  Cob 311 

Falls  near  the  Old  Rolling  Mill 315 

Elkanah  Mead  Homestead 316 

Elkanah    Mead 317 

Church   at   North   Greenwich 319 

Odle  C.   Knapp 320 

Nelson  Bush 323 

Nelson   Bush  Homestead 329 


[xvi] 


TXTKODrCTIOX 

This  volume  is  not  a  history.  It  is  a  collection  of 
personal  reminiscences  and  a  few  stories  of  local  in- 
terest, told  to  the  author  years  ago.  They  all  relate 
to  the  Town  of  Greenwich,  Connecticut,  where  the 
author  has  resided  since  18,59. 

He  came  to  that  town  at  the  age  of  seven.  All 
the  impressive  scenes  of  the  war  of  '(51-'().5  are  firmly 
fixed  in  his  memory.  A  hoy  of  that  age  is  every- 
where; he  sees  and  hears  everything  and  he  never 
forgets. 

The  records  of  the  town  have  always  heen  a  de- 
light: those  (juaint  old  hooks  that  contain  so  many 
suggestions  of  other  days.  x\nd  when,  years  ago, 
the  old  men  told  stories  of  local  events  long  past, 
they  were  treasured  and  often  verified  with  particu- 
lar dates  an.d  names. 

Names  and  dates  herein  contained  are  helieved  to 
he  correct.  Certainly  the  dates  are,  as  in  no  instance 
has  a  date  heen  given  until  accuracy  was  first  assured. 
The  book  is  intensely  personal.  In  some  res])ects  it 
may  he  deemed  to  he  trivial.  If  it  were  a  history — 
staid  and  dignified — that  criticism  might  he  just. 
But  Daniel  ]\lerritt  Mead  and  S])encer  P.  Mead  are 
the  local  historians  and  they  have  done  their  work 
well. 

The  province  of  this  vohime  is  to  deal  with  families 


INTRODUCTION 

and  their  home  farms.  Great  farms  that  raised  so 
maiw  potatoes,  years  ago,  that  the  town  controlled 
the  New  York  market  afterwards  became  residence 
parks.  Their  improvement  brought  great  wealth; 
new  streets  were  laid  out  and  from  a  quiet  rural  com- 
munity Greenwich  became  a  lively  city  suburb. 

How  this  happened  and  when  is  told  herein. 

The  photographs  are  included  because  it  is  believed 
they  will  be  of  interest.  No  payment  for  their  in- 
sertion has  been  exacted,  except  the  actual  cost  of 
the  plate.  Many  dollars  would  have  been  paid  for 
others  could  they  have  been  obtained. 

It  has  taken  twenty-two  years  to  gather  the 
material  for  this  book  and  now  that  the  work  is  done 
the  task  is  laid  aside  only  with  a  feeling  of  regret. 

It  has  been  pleasant  to  read  and  talk  of  the  other 
days;  to  imagine  how  some  of  the  characters  looked; 
of  what  their  home  life  consisted;  how  conscientious 
and  careful  they  were  and  to  realize  that  in  many 
cases,  notwithstanding  their  restricted  environment, 
they  builded  better  than  they  knew. 

Greenwich,  May  1,  1913. 


[xviii 


OTHER   DAYS   IN 
GREENWICH 


CHAPTER  I 

THE    A'ILI,AGP: 

WHAT  is  now  the  Borough,  with  a  fringe  of  out- 
lying territory,  consisted  in  1859  of  farms. 
The  Tliomas  A.  ^Nlead  and  Zaccheus  Mead  farms, 
comprising  over  three  hundred  acres,  lay  to  the  west 
and  northwest  of  the  village  center.  A])raham  B. 
Davis'  farm  lay  to  the  southwest  and  the  farms  of 
D.  Smith  Mead,  Silas  ^Nlerwin  JNIead  and  Dr.  Theo- 
dore L.  ^Nlason  were  in  the  center,  while  the  Phil- 
ander Button,  Theodore  H.  Mead  and  Titus  Mead 
farms  lay  to  the  northeast  and  east. 

These  farms  were  profitable  and  were  managed 
with  all  the  skill  which  had  been  handed  down  from 
generation  to  generation  of  practical  farmers.  Per- 
ha])s  ^Ir.  Button  and  Dr.  ^lason  should  be  excepted 
as  their  occupations  were  teaching  and  the  practice 
of  medicine,  farming  being  merely  an  incident.  But 
the  others  were  in  every  sense  of  the  word  farmers 
and  they  were  good  farmers,  devoting  their  energy 
and   judgment  to  tilling  their   productive   acres  to 

[1] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 

the  best  advantage.  It  is  less  than  thirty  years  ago 
that  CoL  ^lead's  farm  barns  stood  where  Jndge 
James  F.  Walsh's  house  now  stands  at  111  West 
Putnam  Avenue. 

Col.  Thomas,  as  he  was  called  for  short,  owned  a 
famous  herd  of  yellow  cows  and  his  ox  barn  con- 
tained several  yoke  of  sleek  oxen.  The  farm  was 
known  as  Dearfields  to  which  I  liave  devoted  another 
chapter. 

The  Abraham  B.  Davis  farm  adjoined  Col.  ^lead's 
farm  on  the  south.  He  was  commonly  called  Benson 
Davis.  He  was  a  native  of  the  town,  his  birthplace 
being  at  Davis  Landing  where  the  old  tide  mill  was 
operated  so  many  years  and  with  his  brother,  Silas, 
went  to  Xew  York  where  he  made  a  fortune  in  the 
floiu"  business. 

Ill  the  eighteenth  century  the  farm  had  belonged 
lo  William  Bush.  He  came  to  Greenwich  from 
Xew  York  about  1750.  He  was  a  young  man  of 
wealth,  the  only  son  of  a  retired  shipping  merchant. 
It  is  said  th.at  his  shoe  buckles  were  of  the  finest 
wrouo-ht  silver  and  his  small  clothes  were  of  the 
choicest  silk.  He  had  the  swiftest  horses,  the  finest 
oxen  and  the  greatest  lierd  of  sheep  and  his  acres 
were  broad  and  fertile.  The  house  he  built  was  the 
talk  of  the  town  and  upon  his  death,  January  8.  1802, 
his  will  disposed  of  a  large  estate.  He  left  an  only 
daughter,  Rebecca,  wht)  became  the  wife  of  John  R. 
Cozine,  from  whom  she  obtained  a  divorce  en- 
abling her  to  convev  her  land  as  a   single  woman. 

[2] 


S£a^ZxJ^—J,  ^>^k-^=<^ 


THE  VILLAGE 

Slie  sold  the  farm  to  the  Davises  and  on  May  7,  1858, 
Ahraham  B.  accjuired  from  the  otliers  a  complete 
title  to  the  thirty  acres. 

I    recall    an    antiquated    colonial    farmhouse    that 
stood  west  of  the  present  so-called  Green  Court  Inn, 


I).  S.MllH   MKAl) 

During  tlie   l;ist  yrars  of  his  life  he  daily  drove  his  cows  to  pasture 

in    the   manner   shown 

which  had  been  the  homestead  of  AVilliam  Bush  be- 
fore and  during  the  wai-  of  the  Revolution. 

As  A])raham  B.  Davis  grew  rich  he  desired  a  l)et- 
ter  honse  and  about  1869,  under  the  supervision  of 
Samuel  Adams,  the  old  house  was  removed  and  the 
present  one,  known  as  the  Green  Court  liiii,  eixcted. 

[5] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 

Here  he  lived  summer  aiul  winter  going  to  New 
York  daily  until  his  death  Fehruary  4,  1879. 

After  the  death  of  the  widow,  Eleanor  R.  Davis, 
who  had  aequired  the  farm  by  a  will  that  was  stub- 
l)ornly  contested  for  many  months  by  ]Mr.  Davis' 
brothers  and  sisters,  Henry  R.  Marshall  purchased 
the  farm. 

The  farm  of  Daniel  Smith  ]Mead  was  pretty  much 


S.    MERWIN    MEAD    HOMESTEAD 

Built    1S09 

all  in.  the  village.  It  consisted  of  about  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  including  eleven  acres  now  occupied 
by  the  Havemeyer  School.  It  extended  east  to 
Davis  Avenue,  then  called  Love  Lane  and  south  to 
the  railroad.  It  was  a  portion  of  a  great  tract  of 
land  that  in  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century  had 
belonged  to  Daniel  Smith,  the  father-in-law  of 
Daniel  Smith  ^lead  and  foi-  whom  his  son  was 
named.  D.  Smith  ^Nlead,  the  grandson,  lived  in  a 
house  built  manv  years  ago  but  in  1870.  when  the  de- 

'[6] 


THE  VILLAGE 


sire    for   tlu-    Mansard   or    Freiifli    I'o:)!'   a])i)eare(l    its 
colonial  form  was  wii)e(l  out. 

The  house  still  stan.ds  at  No.  :i.5t)  C;reenwieh  Ave- 
nue and  is  owned  by  the  family.  The  otlier  part  l)e- 
lono-ed  to  Silas  ^lerwin  Mead,  a  hrotlier  of  I).  Smith 
Mead,  the  second. 

:Merwin  ^Nlead,  as  lie  was  o-enerally  called,  lived  in 
the  house  at  No.  'iOS 
(rreenwich  Avenue  now 
owned  by  Dr.  AVilliam 
Burke.  This  house  was 
built  in  1809.  The  :Mer- 
win  Mead  farm  extended 
north  from  his  l)rother's 
farm  along  Greenwich 
Avenue  and  across  to  Da- 
vis Avenue.  It  was  ]SIer- 
win.    .Mead   who   laid   out  s.  mkkwix  mead 

Elm  Street  and  about  the  year  18.!8  planted  the 
elm  trees  that  afterw^ard  suggested  the  name  it 
bears.  He  was  one  of  the  most  public  s])irited  of  the 
older  generation.  The  streets  that  were  laid  out 
through  his  farm  re])resented  his  conti'ibution  to  tlie 
])ublic  improvement  and  lie  never  asked  for  land 
damages. 

The  tract  nortli  of  Elm  Street  belonged  to  Edwin 
]Mead,  a  brother,  who  with  Aai'on  Woolsey,  of  Bed- 
ford, X.  Y.,  as  a  partner,  divided  tlie  land  into  half 
acre  plots  then  considered  small  and  dis))osed  of  them 
to    William    Tiers,    Isaac    Weed    and    others.      ^Ir. 

[7] 


OTHER  DAYS  IN  GREENWICH 

Tiers  lived  where  the  Cramer  huilding  now  stands 
and  Mr.  Weed  lived  where  the  lihrary  is  located. 
What  is  now  Rockefeller  Park  belonged  to  Henry 
M.  Benedict,  Brush  Knapp  and  Alvan  ]Mead. 


ALVAN  MEAD 

1795-1883 

These  men  owned  contiguous  property  amounting 
to  nearly  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres,  devoted  to 
cultivation  and  containing  two  fine  apple  orchards. 

Occasionally  may  be  seen  along  Uncoln  or  I^ex- 
ington  Avenues  the  stump  of  an  old  tree  and  it  is 
possible  that  in  some  of  the  ])ack  vards  of  the  nu- 

[8] 


C^tcc/AcA- P/y^^  Cjff^Z^Z^<-^^£<yr-^^ 


|!S()S-|S!»1 


THE  VILLAGE 

iiieroiis  cottages  that  now  ()C'c-ii])y  this  tcrritoi'y  may  he 
found  a  rriiitl'iil  appk-  tree,  a  relie  of  one  of  tlie  old 
orchards. 

To  nie  this  tract  is  particularly  interesting  l)ecause 
in  my  hoyhood  days  it  constituted  my  trapping-  and 
hunting  ground. 


L.   p.   Hl'Bl?Alil)    HOMESTEAD 

Purchased    in    1S,i!)   with   saviiif>-s   acciiiiiiiiatcd   l)\-   thf   noii   use  of  t()l>acco 


^ly  home  from  18.51)  to  1883  was  the  house  now 
owned  })y  13r.  E.  O.  Parker  at  Xo.  68  East  Putnam 
Avenue. 

In  the  early  days  when  the  farms  of  which  I  have 
spoken  were  devoted  to  the  husiness  of  agriculture, 
there  were  few  trees  to  ohstruct  the  view  and  from 
any  ])ortion  of  my  father's  home  place  the  Sound  was 
visible  for  manv  miles.      Ancient  stone  walls  divided 

["] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 


the  fields  that  abounded  in  (j[uail  and  meadow  lark. 
Pi])in^'  Brook  ran  full  before  numerous  drains  had 
cut  off  its  supply  and  the  muskrat  and  an  occasional 
mink  contributed  to  my  somewhat  limited  supply  of 
pocket  money. 

In  winter  the  snow  often  drifted  over  the  stone 
walls  making  it  possible  to  coast  on  the  crust  over 
much  of  this  extended  territory. 

Early  in  the  sixties, 
Henry  ]M.  Benedict,  in 
the  interest  of  his  children 
and  incidentally  in  his 
boys'  playmates,  flooded 
a  portion  of  his  land  for  a 
skating  pond. 

Occasionally  I  walk 
along  the  streets  that 
have  cut  the  Benedict 
place  in  pieces  and  en- 
deavor to  locate  some 
of  the  old  haunts  so  familiar  in  other  days.  Re- 
cently in  the  backyard  of  one  of  the  newly  erected 
houses  I  found  a  remnant  of  the  old  dam  and  a  little 
further  south  I  identified  the  old  buttonwood  tree  that 
grew  near  it.  ^Nlr.  Benedict  was  devoted  to  his  boys 
and  his  daughter.  Belle,  now  ^Irs.  William  C.  Horn, 
and  their  wants  were  seldom  denied. 

After  the  skating  pond  was  established  it  was 
thought  necessary  to  build  a  small  house  which  was 
warmed  bv  a  wood  stove,  thus  enabling  the  children 

[12] 


STEPHEN  A.  STOOTHOFF 
18;29-1911 


THE  VILLAGE 

tn  put  on  tlieir  skates  in  comfort.  Tin's  building 
which  was  erected  hy  Stephen  A.  Stoothoit',  who  did 
all  ^L'.  Benedict's  work,  stood  a  few  rods  east  of  the 


/.  \(  (  lll-.l  .s   .\II:AI)    I.  \M-.    ls(  u 


rear  line  of  L'rank  V.  1{.  lieynolds'  house  on  Mason 
Street. 

The  chapter  on  tlie  Octagon  house  tells  of  Brush 
Kna])])  who  owned  the  orchard  south  of  the  Benedict 
land.  Lincoln  Avenue  now  i-uns  directly  thi-ough 
it.     There  are   several   prominent   trees  on   this   one 

[13] 


OTHER  DAYS  IN  GREENWICH 

hundred  and  fifty  acre  tract  which  still  live.  Near 
what  is  now  called  Putnam  Terrace  stood  an  ash  tree 
whose  trunk  was  twelve  feet  in  circumference.  It 
was  considered  a  detriment  to  the  Sound  view  many 
years  ago  and  was  cut  down,  but  near  the  home  of 
JNIiss  Amelia  Knapp  may  be  seen  small  trees  of  this 
variety  which  have  sprung  from  the  roots  of  the  par- 
ent tree.  Two  or  three  buttonball  trees  graced  the 
landscape  but  they  are  all  gone  except  the  remains 
of  the  one  near  the  old  dam. 

The  great  oak  tree  now  on  the  front  lawn  of  B. 
Frank  Finney,  on  Mason  Street,  was  a  popular 
shelter  for  the  cows  that  were  pastured  in  that  field 
and  the  triplet-trunk  silver  maple  on  the  corner  of 
JNIason  Street  and  Lexington  Avenue  looks  just  as 
it  did  fifty  years  ago. 

When  the  autumn  days  came  all  the  boys  were  in- 
terested in  nut  gathering.  The  ]Mason  farm  had  sev- 
eral fine  hickory  trees,  one  of  which  still  stands  on 
the  front  lawn  of  Frank  V.  R.  Reynolds'  place.  An- 
other stands  in  the  rear  of  Dr.  J.  A.  Clark's  place  on 
Mason  Street  and  the  remains  of  one  that  was  on  the 
Merwin  JNIead  farm  still  stands  on  the  corner  of  ]Ma- 
son  and  Elm  Streets. 

Dr.  JNIason  was  engaged  in  the  active  practice  of 
his  profession  in  Brooklyn  and  his  farm  was  man- 
aged by  George  Wellner,  whose  name  I  learned 
years  afterwards;  a  good  hearted  German  wlio  must 
have  emigrated  to  this  country  late  in  life  as  he 
spoke  very  broken  English.     We  called  him  Dutch 

[14] 


THE  VTIVr.AGE 

George,  liaving  lieai'd  others  eall  liini  hy  that  name, 
and  he  never  resented  it. 

He  was  inelined  to  tease  us  sometimes  hut  always 
aceeded  to  our  recjuest  for  the  ])rivilege  of  <>ather- 


i)KKl'    llOl.K    JS()() 

ino-  nuts  on  the  Mason  farm.  Lon<>-er  exeursions  for 
nuts  took  us  down  Zaeeheus  ^lead's  hine  and  to  the 
chestnut  trees  near  "Sheep  Pen"  on  the  Thomas  A. 
jNIead  farm. 

It  will  therefore  a])pear  that  the  one  hnndred  and 
fifty  acre  parcel  1  have  des;erihed  did  not  include  all 
the  playo^round  of  the  hoys  of  those  times.  It  was 
our  immediate  reservation  hut  fre(]uently  we  made 
excursions  to  the  east  across  what  is  now  Milhank  to 

[15] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 

Theodore  H.  jNIead's  brook  (called  the  brook 
"Brothers"),  for  a  swim. 

Then  the  notion  would  take  us  in  the  other  direc- 
tion across  Col.  Mead's  farm  to  "Sheep  Pen,"  a  fa- 
mous swimming-  hole  long  ago  filled  up  witli  sand 
because  there  were  no  more  sheep  to  wash.  Some- 
times we  enjoyed  a  picnic,  perched  on  the  rocky  sides 
of  Deep  Hole,  a  rustic  spot  that  is  practically  un- 
changed. Occasionally  we  walked  down  I^ove  Lane, 
now  Davis  Aven.ue,  to  the  old  tide  mill  and  under  its 
protecting  sliadow  undressed  and  dove  from  the  rocks 
still  visil)le  north  of  the  causeway. 

In  those  days  there  was  no  road  across  the  dam. 
What  is  now  Bruce  I'ark  was  the  Isaac  Howe  ^lead 
farm  and  behind  a  great  ledge  of  rocks,  on  the  west- 
erly side  of  the  pond,  long  since  removed,  we  felt  that 
bathing  clothes  were  quite  superfluous.  The  Davis 
pond  was  always  popular  as  a  bath.ing  place  because 
no  account  need  be  taken  of  the  tide.  At  low  water 
the  gate  was  down  and  the  pond  was  full. 


[16] 


CHAPTKR  II 

COMMERCIAL    GREENWICH 

THE  preceding-  chapter  lias  dealt  with  some  of 
the  rural  parts  of  Greenwich,  hut  no  allusion 
has  heen  made  to  its  commercial  interests. 

These  interests  were  so  insigniticant  that  they  are 
mentioned  only  to  make  the  story  of  Greenwich  com- 
plete. Before  and  (lurii\i>'  tlie  war  of  1801,  it  is  my 
impression  that  Xewman  ^c  Hewes  of  jNIianus,  in 
their  general  store  did  more  husiness  than  all  others 
combined. 

The  Upper  Landing,  as  ^lianus  is  still  called, 
was  a  busy  place  and  from  thence  most  of  our  farm 
products  were  shipped.  Joseph  Brush,  at  Cos  Coh 
also  did  a  large  husiness. 

The  village  of  Greenwich  was  not  without  stores 
and  although  thev  were  called  oeneral  stores  thev 
were  not  conducted  like  the  general  store  in  prosper- 
ous communities  at  the  present  time.  Remote  ])laces 
in  New  Kngland  have  such  stores  to-day  as  we  had 
fifty  years  ago. 

Putnam  Avenue  was  then  called  ^lain  Street,  the 
successor  of  the  main  country  road,  a  name  that  had 
been  used  for  manv  generations.      At  the  corner  of 

[17] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 

Putnam  Avenue  and  Sherwood  Place,  then  called 
iNIechanic  Street,  was  the  husiness  center  for  a  numher 
of  years.  Under  President  James  Buchanan  the  post 
office  had  heen  located  in  what  is  now  known  as  Dr. 
Frank  M.  Holly's  cottage  and  Squire  Samuel  Close 
was  postmaster.     But  M'hen  President  Lincoln  was 


POST  OP^FICE  1859 


elected  tlie  office  of  jjostmaster  went  to  Joseph  E. 
Brush  and  the  office,  ahout  six  feet  square,  was 
opened  in  the  building  now  owned  and  occupied  by 
Frederick  Denson, 

]\Ir.  Brusli  and  later  Brusli  &  Wright,  Benjamin 
Wright  being  the  partner,  ran  a  general  store. 
Thev  kept  everything  but  fresh  meats,  including  dry 

[18] 


COM.AIERCIAI.  GREENWICH 

o'oods.  paints,  oils,  a   <>eneral  line  of  yrot'erics  and  a 
limited  stoek  of  hardware  and  crockery. 

On  the  opposite  corner  stood  the  old  Congrega- 
tional Chnrch  a  large  frame  structnre  wliich  had  heen 
moved  in   18()()  after  the  construction  of  the  present 


I'OSI'  OFl-'ICI',    lS(i 


stone  edifice.  Col.  Thomas  A.  Mead  and  his  nephew, 
Amos  M.  Hrush.  were  the  owners  of  the  pi'operty. 
It  stood  on  the  northeast  corner  of  Putnam  iVvenue 
and  Sherwood  Place  and  was  occupied  hy  Dr.  James 
Aiken's  drug  store,  Einus  Weed's  jewelry  store,  the 
law  office  of  Julius  B.  Curtis  and  tlie  town  offices. 
The  upper  floor  was  a  })ul)lic  b.all,  where  were  held 

[19] 


OTHER  DAYS  IN  GREENWICH 


many  spirited  meetings  and  lectures  dm'ing  the  time 
of  the  war. 

In  what  is  now  the  front  door  yard  of  Dr.  Virgil 
C.  Piatti's  residence,  close  to  the  street  line,  stood  a 
small  one-story  hiiilding,  used  as  a  meat  market  by 
John  Henderson.  It  stood  on  land  leased  of  Dr. 
^Nlason  and  was  not  removed  till  about  1870. 

Abram  Acker  kept  a  grocery  store  in  a  two-story 

frame  building  that  stood 
where  the  eastern  end  of 
the  Lenox  House  now 
stands.  The  old  building 
was  removed  to  the  rear 
of  the  present  structure  in 
187-3  and  was  converted 
into  servants'  quarters  for 
the  hotel.  It  still  stands 
there. 

Peter  Acker,  a  brother 
of  Abram  Acker,  for 
many  years  conducted  a  grocery  store  in  a  frame 
building,  standing  where  Isaac  L.  ^Mead's  building  is 
now  located,  on  the  corner  of  Putnam  and  Greenwich 
Avenues.  A  piazza  ran  across  the  south  side  of  this 
building  from  which  was  a  fine  view  of  Long  Island 
Sound.  It  was  reached  by  a  long  flight  of  steps 
which  afforded  a  comfortable  roosting  place  for  a  lot 
of  genial  fellows,  who  would  occasionally  crawl  down 
the  stairs  and  through  a  cellar  door  that  was  always 

[20] 


.lOSKPH  E.  BHL'SH 
1817-1886 
\\'artiiiip  Postmaster 


COMMERCIAL  (;KKKX\VICH 

iii\  itiii^iy     open.      Kxpeiisixc     liais     wcw    tlR-ii     iiii- 
knowii  hereabouts,  and  a  (li-an<>lit  of  New  Knu'land 


rum  (lid  not  eonie  amiss,  altliough  served  aeross  the 
head  of  a  harreh 

^Nlattliew  Mead  ke])t  a  col)bler's  slioj)  nearly  oppo- 
site the  John  A.  Bullard  <>ara<>e. 

Benjamin   Peck,    and   later    Frank    Holmes,   con- 

[21] 


OTHER  DAYS  IN  GREENWICH 

ducted  a  dry-goods  store  in  a  large  frame  building 
which  for  many  years  after  was  occupied  liy  the 
Greenwich  Savings  Bank,  standing  on  what  is  now 
Mrs.  L.  P.  Jones'  land. 


FIRST     BUSINESS     lUII.DIXG     ERECTED     OX     CJREEXWICH 
AVEXUE    18,34 

John  Dayton,  who  died  August  18,  1908,  was  the 
first  man  to  venture  the  purchase  of  a  lot  on  (xreen- 
wich  Avenue  for  business  purposes.  He  was  thought 
to  be  injudicious  when  he  and  Daniel  ^lerritt  ^lead, 
as  a  j^artner,  paid  $500  for  a  lot  50x150.  On  this 
land  they  ])uilt  the  frame  building  now  occupied  by 
the  Greenwich  Savings  Bank.  The  first  floor  was 
the   Davton    shoe    store    and    Counselor    Mead    con- 

[22] 


COMMERCIAL  (iRKKXWICH 

ducted  a  law  office  in  the  seeoiid  story  whieli  was  sub- 
sequently used  for  many  years  l)y  Col.  Ileusted  W. 
R.  Hoyt  for  the  same  })ur}3ose. 

Peter  Acker's  garden  lay  along  tlie  west  side  of 
the  avenue  down  to  the  grocery  store  of  Oliver  Lock- 
wood,  whose  stand  was  where  Benjamin  Lockwood's 
restaurant  and  Arthur  Phillips'  store  are  now  lo- 
cated. 

Henry  Held  conducted  the  only  meat  market  on 
Greenwich  Avenue  and  tliat  was  open  only  dui-ing  the 
forenoon.  It  occupied  the  frame  building  now 
owned  by  S.  A.  and  H.  T.r.  Brush  at  Xo.  74-.  It  was 
not  })r()fitable  to  keep  the  store  open  in  the  afternoon 
and  evening,  the  business  being  insufficient.  Xo  de- 
liveries were  made  and  many  of  the  people  of  wealth, 
for  those  days,  carried  their  ])urchases  home. 

John  H.  ^Nlerritt's  fish  market,  whicli  also  served 
home-made  ice  cream  in  tlie  hot  weather,  stood  on 
Capt.  \Vm.  I^.  Lyon's  land,  whei'e  the  Trust  C'o.'s 
building  now  stands.  Later  it  was  moved  across  the 
street  and  is  now  occupied  as  a  ])lumber's  store  by 
Elias  S.  Peck. 

These  stores  were  all  the  village  bad.  Kven  the 
tinner  and  the  ])lumber  were  missing.  There  was 
little  for  a  ])bimber  to  do.  tbei'e  being  no  ])ublie  wa- 
ter supply.  If  a  tea  kettle  needed  repaii'  or  a  house 
required  tinning,  Port  Chester  artisans  did  the  work, 
unless  a  traveling  tinker  hap])ened  to  call. 

It  was  not  till  nearly  the  close  of  the  war  that 
William  and   Robert    Talbot,    brothers,   ari'ixed   and 

[23] 


OTHER  DAYS  IN  GREENWICH 

opened  a  plumbing  and  tinning  shop  at  the  head  of 
the  avenue  on  land  then  belonging  to  Jacob  T.  Weed 
and  still  in  the  possession  of  his  family.  The  build- 
ing was  removed  several  years  ago.  A  number  of 
descendants  of  the  Talbot  brothers  are  well-known 
residents  of  the  Borougli. 

AVith  no  street  lights,  very  few  side  walks,  and 
they  of  the  crudest  kind,  it  is  easy  to  realize  what  a 
quiet  country  village  Greenwich  was  during  the  war. 
Very  few  ventured  out  at  night  and  those  who  went 
to  an  evening  meeting  or  to  pay  a  social  call  usually 
carried  a  lantern.  jNIoonlight  nights  were  always 
counted  on  and  when  the  snow  was  on  the  ground 
coasting  and  sleigh-riding  were  greatly  enjoyed. 


[24] 


CIIAriEK  111 

THE    TOWN 

TPIE  previous  cliapters  have  dealt  with  the  viHage 
and  its  ininiechate  sinToundin(>s,  hut  no  alhision 
lias  heen  made  to  the  townsliip. 

There  are  many  who  have  no  idea  of  the  territorial 
extent  of  (xreenwieii.  It  is  nearly  as  large  as  the 
Distriet  of  Cohimhia.  liefore  the  days  of  rural  free 
mail  delivery  it  had  a  half  dozen  post  oftices  and  to- 
day it  has  foul'  railway  stations — Greenwieh,  Cos 
Coh,  Riverside  and  Sound  Beaeh. 

In  1859  it  was  a  farming  eommunity  ])i'o(lueing 
hay,  grain.  ])otat()es,  apples  and  milk  in  sueh  ((uanti- 
ties  that  its  j)opulati()n  had  l)eeome  wealthy.  The 
farms  were  generally  unineum})ered  and  railroad, 
hank  and  insurance  stocks  were  largely  liehl.  Of 
course  in  those  days  the  measure  of  wealth  was  much 
smaller  than  at  ]n'esent  hut  most  of  the  farmers  were 
worth  fifty  thousand  doHai's,  hesides  their  farms 
valued  at  ahout  one  hundi'ed  dollars  an  acre. 

The  poijulation  was  ahout  (5, .500  and  the  assessed 
valuation  for  taxation  was  $2,882,3.58  which  included 
nine  hundred  and  ninety-seven  houses  valued  at 
$701,580.  showing  that  ahout  three-fourths  of  the 
taxes  were  levied  on  faiin  huuls.  and  tliat  Ihei'ein  hiy 
the  importance  of  the  town. 

[■25] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 


ABRAHAM  REYNOLDS 

1830-1908 


As  I  have  shown,  ^Mianus  liad  more  commercial 
interests  than  Horse  Neck,  the  usual  name  for  the 

village. 

The  'T.,ower  I^anding," 
or  Cos  Cob,  liad  its  mar- 
ket boats,  as  well  as 
Mianus  and  from  these 
two  points  most  of  the 
farm  products  found  their 
way  to  the  city.  Capt. 
Daniel  ^lerritt  at  Piping 
Point,  near  the  foot  of 
Arch  Street  (the  landing 
having  been  covered  by  the  ])resent  railroad  embank- 
ment), and  Capt.  Caleb  Holmes  at  Rocky  Neck  had 
all  they  could  do  in  the  transportation  of  produce, 
but  tlie  other  side  of  the  town  outnumbered 
them  in  freight  tonnage. 
Oliver  ^lead,  Thomas 
A.  ^Nlead,  Stephen  L. 
Radford,  Zaccheus  jNIead, 
Charles  ^lead,  Abraham 
and  Augustus  N.  Rey- 
nolds of  North  Street  and 
their  neighbors.  Lot  and 
Drake  jNIead,  were  a  few 
of  the  large  shippers  of 
farm  produce. 

Milk  went  away  by  train  every  night  in  large  quan- 
tities,   while    now    not    a    can    goes    out    but    instead 

[2(i] 


f 


CAPT.  CALEB   HOLMES 

181,'-1887 


THE  TOWX 


many  cans  are  iniported  from  the  nortliern  counties 
of  New  York  and  ^lassaeluisetts. 

Ignoring,  for  the  present  the  territory  nortli  of  the 
Parsonage  Road,  it  may  })e  interesting  to  recall  the 
various  farms  that  composed  that  part  of  the  town 
now  included  in  its  thickly  settled  southern  portion, 
exclusive  of  the  village. 

At  Eyram,  and  on  th.e  point  t)f  the  same  name,  in- 
cluding very  much  of 
East  I'ort  Chester  were 
the  farms  of  Jonas  Mead 
and  Daniel  I. yon.  That 
])art  of  the  town  was 
in  closer  communication 
with  Port  Chester  than 
with  our  own  village  hut 
on  the  Sahhath  day  Dea- 
con Jonas  ]Mead.  his  sons. 
JSIark  and  ^Nlilo,  and  three 
old  ladies  with  poke  hon- 
nets,  seemingly  representatives  of  generations  long- 
departed  were  regular  attendants  at  the  Second  Con- 
gregational Church. 

The  Lyons  were,  I  think.  Episco])alians  and  at- 
tended church   in   Port  Chester. 

Sunday  consisted  of  sacred  and  solemn  hours  and 
its  ohservance  was  strict. 

Now  that  houses,  some  very  large  and  expensive 
and  many  of  more  modest  })i'()poi-tions  cover  this  ter- 
ritorv    it    is    hai'd    to    realize    how    l)cautifullv    rui'al 

[->7] 


ALc;rsrrs  \.  hkynolds 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREEXWICH 

Bvram  Point  was  lialf  a  century  ai>o.  Tliriistin-<>'  its 
head  above  a  rugged  ledge  in  whicli  its  roots  are  fas- 
tened an  ancient  cedar  tree  may  be  occasionally  seen, 
a  relic  of  tlie  wild  and  artistic  growth  that  finally  at- 


STEPHEX  L.  RADFORD 

1S,'8-19;)7 


tracted  such  purchasers  as  William  J.  Tingue  and 
Charles  and  Henry  R.  ^Nlallory.  The  soil  between 
the  out  cro])ping  rocks  was  extremely  fertile  and  those 
patient,  plodding  farmers  wrested  wliat  they  consid- 
ered a  fortune  fi'om  the  land  which  later  produced  to 

[28] 


THE  TOWN 

their  descendants  sndden  and  marvelous  wealth  in  tlie 
quick  turning-  of  real  estate  deals. 

JNIilo  3Iead  has  been  called  the  Sage  of  New  Leb- 
anon, his  name  for  East  I'ort  Chester.  His  father, 
Deacon  Jonas  ^Nlead,  died  August  2,  1871. 

Plis  estate  consisted  of  about  seven  thousand  dol- 


JONAS    MKAI)    HO.MKSli: AD 
Tnni  down    l!)|  I 

lars  in  |)ersonal  property  and  one  hundred  and  foi-ty- 
two  and  one-half  acres  of  land  appraised  at  $40. ()()(). 
This  land  went  to  his  two  sons,  ]Mark  and  ^lilo,  but 
remained  uii(li\  ided  until  January.  187*>.  when  all  the 
shore  front  consisting  of  thirty  acres  and  much  land 
besides  was  set  off'  to  Mark  Mead  while  his  brother, 

[29] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREEXWICH 


JNlilo,  had  to  content  himself  with  inland  property, 
although  eight  acres  had  a  frontage  on  the  Eyram 
River,  where  the  Xew  I^ebanon  docks  were  afterwards 
built. 

Upon  acquiring  this  land,  ]Milo  ]\Iead  had  it  sur- 


w 


■flP' 


1" 


i\  > 


.Mll.O   MKAl)    ii»(tt 

veyed  and  divided  into  lots  fifty  feet  wide,  naming 
the  whole  JNIeadville.  Subsequently  this  name  was 
abandoned  and  the  name  X'^ew  Lebanon  adopted  and 
persistently  adhered  to  down  to  the  day  of  his  death, 
August  2,  1900.  Once  when  asked  the  significance 
of  the  name,  he  stated  that  the  cedars  reminded  him 
of  those  in  Lebanon  of  Bible  history. 

However,  the  name  was  never  popular.     The  mer- 
chants preferred  East  Port  Chester  and  William  J. 

[30] 


THE  TOWX 

Tingue  favored  Ilawtlioi'ne,  after  his  woolen  mills 
at  Glenville.  For  a  short  time  the  i)()st  otfiee  bore 
this  latter  name.  The  sehool  (hstriet  was  ealled  New 
Lebanon  in  consideration  of  a  gift  of  vabiable  land 
for  sehool  purposes. 

Henry  A.  Merritt  could 
})urchase  the  river  front 
only  upon  condition  that 
the  dock  he  contemplated 
building  should  be  called 
the  Xew  Lebanon  dock, 
which  name  it  still  retains. 
The  Opera  House,  the 
Danish  club  house  and 
the  town  dock,  located 
on  land  given  by 
]Mr.  ]Mea(k  and  a  few 
places  of  ])usiness,  still 
bear  the  name.  deacon  .ion as  mkad 

The  Danish  club  house  is  ^Ir.  ^Mead's  best  monu- 
ment. He  gave  the  land  and  furnished  the  money 
for  its  construction.  In  front  of  the  building,  which 
is  of  brick,  with  stone  trimmings,  is  a  bronze  has  re- 
lief of  3Ir.  ]Mead  and  beneath  it  the  inscription 
"The  Sage  of  Xew  Lebanon." 

It  is  a  work  of  art  and  a  very  correct  likeness, 
though  so  high  in  the  wall  that  it  is  seldom  noticed. 
The  artist  was  Carla  Christensen,  a  young  lady  of 
Copenhagen. 

There  is  a  large  population  of  Danes  in  East  Port 

[31] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 

Chester,  and  they  held  3Ir.  ^lead  in  higli  esteem, 
primarily  because  he  was  willing  to  dispose  of  his 
land  to  them  at  reasonable  prices  when  he  mioht  have 
sold  to  much  lietter  advantage  to  the  wealthy  for 
large  estates. 

The  thirty-acre  tract  of  Sound  Shore  front  set  off 

to  ^lark  ^Nlead  was 
(juickly  sold  and  is  now 
occupied  by  such  places 
as  those  of  Joseph  Mil- 
bank,  John  H.  Ha  nan, 
Charles  ^lallory  and  Ya}- 
gar  L.  ^Nlarston,  president 
of  the  Farmers'  Loan  and 
Trust  Co. 

Farther  west  was  the 
farm  of  John  R.  Grigg, 
somewhat  remote  because 
what  is  now  Hamilton. 
Avenue  with  a  trolley  line 
was  but  a  right  of  way 
with  gates  now  and  then. 
But  his  broad  fields  were 
none  the  less  productive 
and  all  his  life  he  devoted  himself  to  their  cultiva- 
tion. The  old  white  farmhouse,  still  standing,  was 
then  a  landmark  all  by  itself,  commanding  a  broad 
view  of  Long  Island  Sound.  But  it  has  been 
dwarfed  and  rendered  insignificant  by  great  three- 
story  Italian  apartment  houses  and  by  numerous  mod- 

[32] 


WINDSOR  CHAIR 

Used  by  Deacon  Jonas  Mead  and 
his  son  Mile.  Now  the  proji- 
ertv  of  the  Author 


THE  TOAVX 


cm  c'()tta'>es  in  the  iR'ar-l)y  Jaynes  Park,  a  portion  of 
the  original  farm. 

Just  across  the  valley,  on  the  next  ridge  to  the 
east,  was  the  farm  of  xVugustus  ]Mead.  Tlie  old 
homestead  moved  hack  a  few  rods  from  the  street 
and  enlarged  is  now  known  as  Homestead  Hall,  a 
popular  summer  hotel.  Open  the  town  records  of 
fifty  years  ago  and  almost 
every  page  reveals  his 
name.  He  was  a  careful, 
methodical,  and  thrifty 
farmer  of  ample  means 
and  possessing  tlie  charac- 
teristics of  wisdom  and 
moderation.  He  was  a 
man  of  deliherate  judg- 
ment and  those  who  had 
no  claims  ujjon  him,  ex- 
ce])t  that  tliey  were  his  townsmen  went  to  him  for 
advice  and  counsel. 

T  do  not  intend  to  imply  that  he  was  not  ])rogres- 
sive;  only  that  always  hefore  he  made  a  move  he  was 
sure  of  his  groimd.  Tliose  who  were  his  contempo- 
raries say  that  he  was  a  close  reader  of  scientific  pub- 
hcations  and  tliat  lie  gave  careful  attention  tf)  the 
j)i'oducts  of  the  j)atent  office.  Any  new  devices  in 
farming  implements  particularly  interested  him  and 
in  his  outbuildings  were  many  exam]:)les  of  oddly  con- 
structed plows  and  harrows  with  which  he  had  ex- 
perimented.    He    was    a    thorough    believer    in    any 

[33] 


.!( 1 1 1  \ 


CKICC. 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 

change  of  methods  suggestive  of  progress.     He  was 
the  first  man  to  build  an  ice  house  in  town. 

He  held  various  offices  of  trust  including  the  initial 
judgeship  of  the  Court  of  Probate.     I  recall  exactly 


JUDGE  AUGUSTUS  MEAD 

About   18G0 

how  he  looked  as  he  drove  along  in  a  s(juare  box 
wagon  and  tied  his  brown  horse,  Dandy,  to  a  stone 
post  stan.ding  under  a  great  elm  tree,  whose  branches 
still  hang  over  the  little  building  that  held  the  Pro- 
bate Court  and  the  Post  Office.  His  name  has  been 
perpetuated  in  his  son,  Augustus  I.  JNlead,  and  his 
grandson,  Augustus,  son  of  Nelson  B.  INlead. 

[84] 


THE  TOWX 

I  can  not  refrain  at  tliis  point  from  di^ressino'  a 
little  to  tell  the  story  of  the  Post  Office  l)nihhn<»-,  as 
revealed  in  tlie  town  records,  sho\vin(>'  as  it  does  the 
confidence  in  business  matters  enjoyed  })y  tlie  men  of 
tliose  days.      Samuel   Close  was  postmaster  in   IS.jO, 


r^\.*./S 


IIOMKSTKAD  OF  AL'dUSTUS  MEAD  AS  IT  APPEARED  IX  is:,fl 

He  liad  succeeded  Isaac  Weed  in  1881  and,  with  the 
exception  of  four  years  ])i'i<)r  to  18.54,  when  Joseph 
E.  Brush  was  jjostmaster,  held  the  office  till  the  elec- 
tion of  President  Lincoln  in  1860.  He  and  Jud^e 
^lead  were  the  leaders  in  their  party  and  it  fell  to 
them  to  arran(>'e  for  quarters  for  the  new  .Ju(li>'e  of 
Probate.  ]Mr.  Close  then  owned  the  jiroperty  at  20  East 
Putnam  Avenue  now  owned  by  Dr.  Frank  M.  Holly. 
As  soon  as  Augustus  Mead  was  elected  Judge  of 
Probate  he  liired  of  ]Mr.  Close  the  nortlieast  corner 

[35] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 

of  his  door  yard  and,  at  his  own  expense,  erected 
a  frame  building  which  is  still  standing.  The  lease 
was  executed  December  3,  1853.  It  recites  the  fact 
that  Judge  JNIead  had  already  erected  the  building. 
The  lease  provided  that  it  should  be  used  only  for  the 
office  of  tow^n  clerk,  the  post  office  and  Court  of  Pro- 
bate. As  the  building  was  only  20x28  the  limita- 
tion of  its  use  seems  to  have  been  hardly  necessary. 

The  postmaster  was  to 
have  the  exclusive  right  to 
occu])y  the  first  story,  but 
not  to  interfere  with 
Judge  JNIead  in  passing- 
through  in  order  to  get  to 
the  second  story,  which 
indicates  tlie  location  of 
the  Probate  Court  and 
carries  with  it  the  sugges- 
tion that  ]Mr.  Close  re- 
ceived his  ground  rent  in 
the  partial  use  of  the  building  erected  by  Judge  JNIead. 
Judge  ]Mead  died  April  22,  1864.  still  the  nominal 
owner  of  the  building.  In  the  settlement  of  his  es- 
tate, although  the  building  was  a  fixture  and  actually 
belonged  to  "Sir.  Close  as  the  lease  had  terminated 
October  1,  1858,  it  was  api)raised  in  the  estate  of 
Judge  ]Mead  at  $300.  On  June  8,  1864,  Elkanah 
:Mead,  as  administrator  of  Judge  ^Mead's  estate,  sold 
the  building,  at  the  appraisal,  to  Rebecca  R.  ^Nlayo, 
the  wife  of  Captain  Thomas  Mayo  and  the  daughter 

[36] 


SQUIRE   SAM'L   CLOSE 
In   1860 


THE  TOWX 

of  Mr.  Close.  Dr.  TTolly  lias  improved  and  greatly 
enlarged  the  building  making  it  a  very  tasty  eottage. 

The  front  wing  represents  the  original  building 
and  the  identical  letter  slot  is  still  at  the  left  of  the 
front  door. 

But  the  great  farm,  the  farm  with  a  history,  was 
owned  by  Oliver  ^lead  and  a  portion  of  it  is  now 
known  as  Field  Point  Park.  To-day  it  is  beautiful 
with  its  line  residences,  its  sweeping  lawns  and  its 
brilliant  flower  l)eds,  visible  from  the  water,  the 
growth  of  trees  and  foliage  having  cut  oft'  the  view 
from  any  other  ])oint.  But  all  its  I'ural  sim))lieity 
has  departed.  It  lies  like  an  over-turned  spoon  one 
hundred  and  ten  acres  south  of  the  homestead,  and 
once  from  any  part  of  it  the  view  of  Sound  and  village 
was  unobstructed.  Those  who  live  on  the  charming 
(Uiter  circle  of  this  wonderful  point  have  all  the  view 
they  desire. 

There  are  ancient  oak  trees  on  this  land,  some  of 
them  perhaps  of  the  forest  primeval.  There  were 
springs,  some  very  close  to  the  shore,  where  the  cat- 
tle drank  and  where  the  Round  Hill  and  Stanwich 
picknickers  filled  their  pails.  The  stone  walls  were 
in  many  places  ten  feet  wide,  blasted  from  the  land 
by  the  first  settler,  Zo})har  Mead. 

Vears  before  the  Revolution  all  the  territory  be- 
tween Horse  Neck  Brook  and  the  extremity  of  the 
Point  was  common  land — a  great  horse  ]iasture,  into 
which  any  of  the  inhabitants  could  tui'ii  their  horses. 
The  early  records  call  it  "Horse  Neck  Field  Point" 

[37] 


OTHER  DAYS  IN  GREEXWICH 

from  which  the  original  name  of  the  village,  Horse 
Neck,  was  derived. 

In  the  latter  part  of  the  eighteenth  century 
Abraham  JNIead  conducted  a  pottery  where  the  Held 
House  now  stands.  He  had  two  sons,  Isaac  and 
Zophar.  The  latter  settled  on  the  lower  portion  of 
Field  Point  and  was  the  father  of  Oliver.  Isaac 
settled  on  the  northern  jjortion  and  was  the  father  of 
Augustus  JNIead.  It  was  the  understanding  between 
the  sons  that  their  father  should  divide  his  time  be- 
tween them.  When  the  old  place  at  Indian  Harbor 
was  given  up  Abraham  Mead  went  to  live  with  his 
son  Isaac,  dying  before  the  first  year  of  his  residence 
with  him  had  expired. 

Abraham  Mead  was  a  devout  and  influential  mem- 
ber of  the  Second  Congregational  Church  and  to  dis- 
tinguish him  from  some  of  the  other  ^Nleads  with  the 
same  given  name,  he  was  called  Deacon  Potter  from 
his  occupation. 

But  to  return  to  the  southerly  portion  of  Field 
Point  where  Oliver  Mead  was  born  and  died.  When 
I  was  a  boy  he  was  a  man  of  inferior  physical 
strength,  living  in  the  old  homestead,  a  bachelor,  but 
surrounded  with  all  the  comforts  that  his  life  re- 
quired. He  moved  about  the  farm  slowly  and  ])ain- 
fully,  leaning  upon  a  cane  and  giving  to  his  men  in- 
telligent directions  for  their  work.  He  was  noted 
for  his  fine  oxen  of  which  he  had  several  yoke,  as  a 
pair  was  called.  He  frequently  loaned  to  his  neigh- 
bors his  oxen,  but  it  was  said  that  he  was  so  solicitous 

[38] 


THE  TOWN 


for  tlieir  welfare  that  lie  sent  a  double  team  or  two 
j)air  when  hut  one  pair  was  recjiiestech  Kverv  i)()r- 
tion  of  Field  Point  was  under  the  most  eareful  culti- 
vation. 

The  old  oak  trees  still  standing'  alon.i''  the  easterly 
shore,  now  owned  by 
George  F.  Dominiek  and 
perhaps  some  others,  and 
one  or  two  on  the  extreme 
point  now  owned  by  Sey- 
mour J.  Hyde,  were  his 
pride.  On  one  occasion 
he  spoke  of  them  as  shad- 
ing his  cultivated  land  to 
its  damage,  but  added 
that  he  could  well  afford 
the  diminished  crops,  the 
trees  were  so  grand. 

]Mr.  ]Mead  never  took 
any  active  ])art  in  public 
affairs.  He  was  a  mem- 
l)er  of  the  Second  Congre- 
gational Church  and  a 
liberal  giver  to  every  worthy  benevolent  cause.  He 
died  March  19,  1887.  at  the  age  of  87  years. 

In  additio?)  to  Field  Point  he  owned  liound  Island 
and  considerable  other  land.  The  inventory  of  his 
estate  shows  lOti  acres  of  land  valued  at  Jf'(')4.:j()()  and 
$1()8,()7().22  of  personalty. 

For  years  the  eyes  of  wealthy  men   had   been   on 

[41] 


MISS  SALI.V   Ml'.AI) 

For   main'    \i'ars    in    tlu-    family    ot 
OlivtT  Mfad 


OTHER  DAYS  IN   GREENWICH 

Field  Point,  with  its  line  shore  front,  more  than  a 
mile  in  extent.  Occasionally  it  was  reported  that 
]Mr.  INIead  had  been  offered  large  sums  to  part  with 
this  land,  some  of  which  he  had  bought,  Init  most  of 


OLIVE H  MEAD 

w^hich  was  ancestral  estate.  But  the  old  man,  feeble 
as  he  was,  outlived  many  wlio  had  coveted  those 
broad  acres. 

When  he  died  his  last  will,  dated  December  1, 
1882,  was  filed  for  probate  and  at  once  a  most  in- 
teresting discussion  arose  among  both  lawvers  and 

[42] 


THE  TOWN 

laymen  as  to  what  disposition  lie  liad  made  of  the 
hind. 

His  consin,  Oliver  1).  ]Mead,  now  president  of  the 
Greenwich  National  Bank,  liad  lived  with  Oliver 
^Nlead  for  several  years  hefore  his  death  and  the  old 
man  had  enjoyed,  diirino-  that  time,  the  eoiid'ort  and 
solace  of  the  yonnf>'er  man's  wife  and  (huiyhters. 
Bnt  some  of  the  lawyers  said  that  Ohver  D.  ^Nlead 
had  only  a  life  estate  in  this  fine  property  and  was 
not  ahle  to  convey  a  perfect  fee  title.     Others  took 


POTTERY   MADE    \\\    ])K ACOX    ABHAIIA.M    MlvM)    I7!)() 

the  opposite  view  and  while  the  discnssion  was  rife 
no  one  cared  to  purchase,  whatever  liis  own  opinion 
of  the  matter  mioht  he.  The  cause  of  contention 
was  the  seventeenth  chiuse  of  the  will  which  1  venture 
to  quote  in  full. 

"I  give,  devise  and  hequeath  all  my  real  estate, 
"wheresoever  situated  inchiding  my  hurial  plot,  all  my 
"stock  and  farming  utensils  on  said  real  estate,  all 
"my  household  furniture  of  every  description  and  all 
"my  wearing  apparel  to  Oliver  D.  ]\Iead  to  him  and 
"to  his  heirs  forever.     If  the  said  Oliver  D.  ISIead 

[43] 


OTHER  DAYS  IN  GREENWICH 

"should  die  without  leaving  any  heirs,  then  and  in 
"that  event  I  give  my  said  real  estate  to  Augustus 
"I.  ^Nlead  to  him  and  his  heirs  forever." 

While  the  discussion  continued  Oliver  D.  ^lead 
was  in  possession,  certainly  with  perfect  prox^riety, 
for  at  least  he  had  a  life  estate.  But  it  was  no  easy 
burden  in  the  days  of  unprofitable  farming  to 
carry  on  sucli  a  farm  and  pay  the  taxes;  at  least  that 
is  my  own  conclusion. 

Under  these  circumstances  it  was  quite  natural  for 
]Mr.  ^Nlead  to  welcome  a  possible  purchaser  for  at 
least  a  portion  of  the  property  whatever  the  title. 
Therefore,  in.  the  spring  of  1895,  a  proposition  was 
made  that  the  town  purchase  Round  Island  includ- 
ing a  considerable  parcel  on  the  main  land  for  a  pid)- 
lic  park.  The  price  fixed  was  seventy-five  thousand 
dollars.  A  special  meeting  Avas  held  on  the  eighth  of 
April  and  resulted  in  the  appointment  of  a  committee 
of  purchase,  consisting  of  George  G.  McNall,  John 
H.  Banks  and  Sheldon  E.  JNlinor. 

The  deed  was  signed  Init  was  never  delivered,  be- 
cause many  of  the  residents  of  Belle  Haven  believed 
that  the  extension  of  the  shore  road  to  the  island  whicli 
was  contemplated  in  tlie  deal  and  the  maintenance  of 
a  public  park  at  that  place  would  be  undesirable. 
Influence  from  many  sources  was  brouglit  to  bear  on 
the  parties  interested  and  it  was  concluded  to  aban- 
don the  matter.  It  has  been  a  great  regret  to  many 
wlio  at  the  time  opposed  it,  that  the  park  was  not 
estal)lished  and  especially  since  it  has  become  known 

[44] 


THE  TOWN 

that  John  I),  rhapman.  tlic  present  owner  of  Kound 
Ishmd  paid  very  much  more  and  h()n_<>ht  eonsidera'nly 
less  hind  than  was  conteni])kited  in  tlie  ])ark  scheme. 

But  there  came  a  time,  tliree  years  hiter,  when  th.e 
question  of  title  went  to  the  eoni'ts  and  our  Supreme 
Court  of  Errors  decided  that  Oliver  1).  Mead's  title 
was  ])erfeet. 

The  case  arose  upon  a  contract  for  the  sale  of  a 
portion  of  the  land  which  had  first  heen  purchased 
by  Judge  K.  Jay  AValsh  who  contracted  to  sell  it  to 
James  McCntcheon.  The  latter  took  the  "round 
that  Jn(l<^'e  A\^dsh  had  an  im])erfect  title  and  could 
not  carry  out  his  contract  to  convey  the  fee  of  the 
land.  I'robably  as  far  as  these  litig-ants  were  con- 
cerned, the  suit  was  a  friendly  one,  the  sole  object 
being"  to  have  the  will  reviewed  and  its  meaning  de- 
termined by  the  higliest  Court  in  Connecticut.  But 
^vhen  the  matter  actually  got  into  court  othei-  inter- 
ests were  cited  in:  the  arguments  of  all  the  counsel 
were  very  full  and  complete  and  appearances  indi- 
cated that  the  suit  could  scarcely  })e  termed  friendly 
but  one  in  which  those  interested  wanted  all  that  be- 
longed to  them. 

The  case  first  went  to  the  Superior  Coui't  and 
without  the  inti'oduction  of  testimony  the  following 
finding  of  facts  was  agreed  upon, 

''Tiiat  Oliver  I).  Mead  derived  his  title  to  Field 
"Point  under  the  will  of  his  cousin.  Oliver  3Iead, 
"That  at  the  time  of  the  execution  of  the  will  Oh'ver 
"D.  ^Nlead  and  his  three  chiklren  were  living  and  are 

[4.5] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  (;REEXWICH 

"still  living.  That  Augustus  I.  Mead  is  living  and 
"that  he  has  two  children.  That  Oliver  ^lead  de- 
"rived  his  title  from  his  father,  Zophar  ^Mead,  hy  will 
"in  1844  and  that  Zophar  ^lead  derived  title  to  a 
"portion  of  the  farm  from  his  father  Abraham  ^Nlead, 
"in  1827.  Upon  the  death  of  Oliver  :Mead,  Oliver 
"D.  and  his  family  were  in  possession  of  the  farm, 
"having  been  living  there  some  time  in  the  control 
"and  management  of  the  property.  Both  the  father 
"and  mother  of  Augustus  I.  JNIead  were  first  cousins 
"of  Oliver  Mead.  Oliver  uNIead's  nearest  relations 
"were  first  cousins.     He  was  never  married." 

Under  the  17th  section  of  the  will,  previously 
quoted,  Samuel  Fessenden  of  Stamford,  arguing  for 
the  defendant,  claimed  that  Oliver  D.  ]Mead  took  an 
absolute  title  and  that  the  provision  regarding  the 
death  of  Oliver  D.  "without  leaving  any  heirs"  was 
intended  only  to  provide  for  the  contingency  of 
Oliver  D.  dying  before  the  death  of  Oliver.  That 
the  intent  must  govern  unless  it  is  contrary  to  law. 
He  claimed  that  the  17th  section  of  the  will  in  con- 
nection with  the  19th  section  and  surrounding  cir- 
cumstances clearly  indicated  that  it  was  the  intention 
of  the  testator  to  create  an  absolute  estate. 

The  19th  section  of  the  will  reads  as  follows:  "If 
"there  should  not  be  enough  estate  outside  of  what  I 
"have  given  to  Oliver  D.  jNIead  to  pay  all  the  legacies 
"($86,000)  then  and  in  that  event  I  order  and  direct 
"the  executor  hereinafter  appointed  to  pay  each  2)ro 
"rata.      If  any  of  the  legatees  should  die  before  my 

[40] 


THE  TOWX 

"decease,  then  and  in  that  event,  tlie  let^aey  I  liave 
"given  to  siK'li  legatee  or  legatees,  I  give  and  devise 
"to  the  heirs  of  sneh  deceased  legatee  or  legatees." 

Taking  the  two  sections  ^Ir.  Fessenden  argued  that 
it  was  the  intention  of  Oliver  ^lead  to  leave  the  real 
estate  to  Oliver  1),,  provided  he  outlived  him.  If  he 
died  before  the  testator,  leaving  heirs,  he  intended 
that  they  should  inherit  the  estate  absolutely.  If 
Oliver  I),  died  before  Oliver,  leaving  no  heirs,  then 
it  was  intended  that  Augustus  I.  ^Slead  should  take 
the  land  alisolutely.  A  legatee  is  one  who  takes  per- 
sonal property  under  a  will  and  a  devisee  is  one  who 
takes  land.  The  counsel  argued  that  these  two 
words  had  been  employed  by  the  testator  without 
distinguishing  any  difference  in  their  meaning. 
Hence,  he  claimed  that  the  19th  section  included  the 
devise  to  Oliver  D.  ^lead,  when  he  provided  that  the 
children  of  such  legatees  should  take,  if  the  legatee 
died  before  the  death  of  the  testator,  showino-  that 
the  second  half  of  the  17th  section  of  the  will  was 
only  to  provide  against  a  lapse  of  the  devise.  He 
reasoned  that  the  provision  in  the  19th  section  that 
'Tf  there  should  not  be  enough  outside  of  what  he 
had  given  Oliver  13.  to  pay  all  the  legacies  they  were 
to  be  })aid  pro  i-ata"  showed  conclusively  that  Oliver 
intended  01i\er  1).  to  take  the  farm  unincuinbered 
and  untrammeled  by  any  burden  whatsoever. 

In  reply,  John  K.  Keeler,  of  Stamford,  argued 
that  Oliver  D.  Mead  did  not  ac(juire  an  absolute  title 
to  the  land  devised  to  him  under  the  will.      He  said: 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 

"To  support  the  view  tliat  Oliver  D.  Mead  l)ecame 
possessed  of  an  absolute  title,  it  is  necessary  to  claim 
one  of  two  things,  either  that  all  of  the  17th  section 
after  the  first  sentence  is  to  be  rejected  as  repugnant 
and  of  no  meaning;  or  that  the  words  'die  without 
leaving  any  lieirs'  refer  to  Oliver  D.  ^lead's  death 
before  the  death  of  the  testator,  Oliver  JNIead. 

"It  cannot  be  seriously  contended  that  all  of  tlie 
"second  sentence  is  to  be  set  aside  as  having  no  mean- 
"ing.  Evidently  the  testator  had  two  methods  of 
"disposition  in  mind  as  relating  to  his  real  estate, 
"turning  upon  the  time  of  the  death  of  Oliver  D. 
"Mead. 

"If  the  latter  died  before  him  he  desired  the 
''property  to  go  immediately  to  his  heirs  in  fee;  these 
"heirs  were  children  of  Oliver  U.  ^lead  in  being  at 
"the  time  of  the  making  of  the  will;  but  if  Oliver  D. 
"3Iead  died  after  Oliver  ]\Iead  leaving  no  children 
"then  an  entirely  different  disposition  takes  place  and 
"Augustus  I.  jMead  succeeds  to  the  property." 

]Mr.  John  C.  Chamberlain,  of  Bridge])ort,  repre- 
senting Augustus  I.  ^Nlead  and  his  children,  argued 
that  Oliver  U.  ^lead  had  an  estate  tail  in  the  land, 
relying  largely  upon  a  case  decided  by  the  same 
Court  in  June,  1890,  entitled  Chestro  vs.  Palmer,  .58 
Conn.  Reports,  page  207,  in  which  the  construction 
of  a  will  was  sought,  the  will  reading  (juite  like  the 
will  of  Oliver  ]Mead.  "In  tliat  case  the  Court  de- 
"cided  that  the  estate  created  by  the  will  was  only  an 

[48] 


TPIE  TOWN 

"estate  tail  and  that  the  wliole  situation  was  so  siin- 
"ihir  to  that  found  in  C'liestro  vs.  Pahiier  that  it  is 
"apparently  inipossihle  to  eonstrue  this  estate  in 
"Oliver  D.  ^lead  to  he  anything  more  than  a  fee  tail, 
"without  overruling  all  the  law  of  the  State  upon  the 
"suhject." 

Ml".  C'haniherlain's  eontention  eoneerning  the 
rights  of  Augustus  I.  Mead  in  the  pi-o])erty  was 
niueh  wider  than  the  eiaini  made  hy  Mr.  Keeler. 
AVhile  ]Mr.  Keeler  recognized  the  possihle  accession 
to  the  land  hy  the  children  and  grandchildren  of 
Oliver  D.  ^Nlead,  "Sir.  Chamherlain  argued  that  the 
"remainder."  after  the  death  of  Oliver  1).  Mead, 
would  go  to  Augustus  1.  Mead  and  that  the  descend- 
ants of  Oliver  1).  Mead  would  have  no  interest  after 
the  death  of  their  father.  Answering  ]Mr.  Fessen- 
den  with  relation  to  a  pi'ovision  of  the  testator  in  the 
li)th  section  wherehy  the  legacies  were  to  he  paid 
pro  rata  if  there  sliould  not  he  money  enough.  Mr. 
Chamherlain  said  that  the  clause  was  not  in.consistent 
with  his  claim.  "Oliver  Mead  had  entailed  the  land 
"and  it  was  to  go  to  future  generations,  hence  it 
"could  not  he  sold  to  pay  legacies  hut  must  he  kept 
"intact." 

Xor  did  he  think  that  possession  and  occupation 
of  the  premises  hy  ()li\ei"  1).  Mead  hefore  the  death 
of  Oliver  ^lead  was  inconsistent  with  the  theory  that 
Oliver  ]Mead  intended  his  cousin  to  occupy  the  place 
for  life. 

[49] 


OTHER  DAYS  IN  GREENWICH 

"The  property  was  partly  ancestral  estate  and  if 
"there  had  been  no  will  Augustus  I.  Mead  and  his 
"brother,  Nelson  B.  ^lead,  would  have  taken  the  land 
"to  the  exclusion  of  Oliver  D,  Mead,  and  it  is  not 
"strange  that  the  old  man  desired  it  to  remain  in  the 
"same  branch  of  the  family  from  whence  it  had  come 
"to  him." 

Chief  Justice  Andrews  wrote  tlie  opinion  in  which 
he  pursued  much  the  same  method  of  reasoning  as 
did  j\Ir.  Fessenden  in  his  argument.  I  quote  from 
the  opinion. 

"The  language  in  the  17th  paragraph,  in  its  first 
"clause,  creates  in  Oliver  D.  ^Nlead  an  absolute  es- 
"tate  in  fee  simple,  in  the  lands  in  question.  This 
"Court  in  a  very  recent  case,  ^lansfield  vs.  Shelton, 
"67  Conn.  Reports,  page  390,  and  after  an  exam- 
"ination  of  the  prior  cases,  held  that  an  express  gift 
"in  fee  simple  will  not  be  reduced  to  a  life  estate  by 
"mere  implication  from  a  subse(]uent  gift  over,  but 
"may  be  by  subsequent  language  clearly  indicating 
"intent  and  equivalent  to  a  positive  provision. 

"The  words  of  the  second  clause  of  the  17th  j)ara- 
"graph,  which  are  supposed  to  have  the  effect  of  re- 
"ducing  the  fee  simple  title  created  in  Oliver  D. 
"^Nlead  to  a  lesser  estate  are:  Tf  the  said  Oliver  D. 
"JNIead  should  die  without  leaving  any  heir,  then, 
"&c.'  Read  literally  these  words  mean  nothing. 
"No  man  can  die  without  leaving  any  heirs.  The 
"law  presumes,  until  the  contrary  is  shown,  that 
"everv   deceased  person   leaves  heirs.      It   is  argued 

[501 


THE  TOWN 

"tliat  the  word  lieirs  ()UL>ht  to  l)e  read  as  meaning  ehil- 
"dren. 

"In  a  suitable  case  tlie  Court  niiglit  ])ossil)ly  adopt 
"such  a  reading.  But  in  tlie  present  case,  wliere  the 
"effect  of  tlie  changed  reading  would  be  to  defeat 
"the  very  clearly  expressed  general  intent  of  the  tes- 
"tator.  as  well  as  to  reduce  an  express  gift  in  fee 
"simple  to  a  lesser  estate,  the  Court  would  hardly 
"feel  authorized  to  do  so.  .  .  .  There  is  another 
"rule  of  construction  which  has  been  followed  many 
"times  by  this  Court,  and  which  is  decisive  of  this 
"case.  It  is.  that  when  in  a  will  an  estate  in  fee  is 
"followed  by  an  apparently  inconsistent  limitation, 
"the  whole  should  be  reconciled  by  reading  the  latter 
"disposition  as  applying  exclusively  to  the  event  of 
"the  prior  devisee  in  fee  dying  in  the  lifetime  of  the 
"testator.  The  intention  of  the  testator  being,  it  is 
"considered,  to  provide  a  substituted  devisee  in  a  case 
"of  a  lapse.  This  construction  gives  effect  to  all  the 
"words  of  the  will  and  makes  all  its  parts  consistent. 
"The  reference  in  the  19th  clause  to  the  estate  'given 
"to  Oliver  D.  Mead'  was  evidently  intended  to  cover 
"whatever  was  disposed  of  by  the  17th  clause.  Part 
"of  that — the  personal  estate — was  unquestionably 
"an  absolute  gift.  It  is  therefore  reasonable  to  sup- 
"pose  that  as  the  testator  in  this  reference  made  no 
"discrimination,  he  had  intended  none,  between  the 
"real  and  personal  property,  and  understood  that  he 
"had  given  an  absolute  estate  in  both. 


OTHER  DAYS  IN  GREENWICH 

"It  is  also  to  be  considered  that  if  the  provision 
"for  Ohver's  death  without  leaving-  any  heirs  were 
"read  as  one  as  to  his  death  without  leaving  any  sur- 
"viving  issue,  whether  it  occurred  either  before  or 
"after  that  of  the  testator,  then  it  contemplated  a 
"devise  to  such  issue,  which  would  be  void  under  the 
"former  statute  of  perjDetuities. 

"The  construction  which  we  adopt,  on  the  other 
"hand,  by  confining  the  effect  of  this  clause  to  a 
"death  before  that  of  the  testator,  makes  this  clause 
"valid  and  satisfies  the  rule  that  when  a  devise  may 
"fairly  be  read  either  as  a  legal  or  an  illegal  one,  the 
"former  meaning  is  preferred. 

"From  all  the  words  of  the  will  examined  in  the 
"light  of  the  circumstances,  w^e  are  persuaded  that 
"Oliver  jNIead  intended  by  his  will  to  give,  and  did 
"give,  to  Oliver  D.  ]Mead  an  estate  in  fee  simple  in 
"all  his  lands." 

This  decision  was  generally  satisfactory  among 
those  disinterested.  It  was  suggested  by  some  that 
the  opinion  was  strained  in  the  interest  of  an  expedi- 
ency. It  is  true  that  the  pu})lic  interests  would  not 
be  conserved  by  tying  up  for  many  years  such  a 
valuable  tract  of  land  and  a  feeling  of  satisfaction 
was  manifest,  when  it  became  known  that  Field  Point 
had  been  purchased  by  a  corporation  known  as  tlie 
Field  Point  Land  Co.,  for  the  purpose  of  develop- 
ment. The  deed  executed  by  Oliver  U.  Mead  recited 
a  nominal  consideration  but  the  actual  consideration 

[52] 


THE  TOWX 

was  pro})ahly   (jreatcr  tliaii   in  any  othei*  of  oui'  re- 
corded conveyances. 

Sales  of  the  land  were  consummated  as  soon  as 
the  com])any  had  laid  out  the  property,  and  intro- 
duced liolit,  water,  sewera(>'e  and  roads.  It  has  heen 
said  that  the  land  sohl,  all  of  which  had  shore  front. 
hr()ut)ht  from  ten  to  fifteen  thousand  dolhii's  an  acre 
and  no  lot  was  sold  less  than  three  acres  in  area. 


[53] 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE  whitj:  bridge 

T)EFORFi  taking  up  another  farm  that  made 
-*-^  rural  Greenwich  in  other  days,  the  ohl  white 
bridge  occurs  to  me  as  a  subject  for  this  chapter. 
It  may  serve  to  break  the  monotony  of  mv  story. 

Davis'  Creek  is  spanned  by  a  raih'oad  bridge  near 
the  new  pumping  station,  like  scores  of  others  along 
the  line.  But  in  1859,  a  covered  bridge  of  heavy 
frame,  shingle  roofed  and  shaped  like  a  spireless 
church  covei'ed  the  creek  above  the  old  mill.  It  was 
then  about  eleven  years  old.  It  was  painted  a 
glistening  white  and  with  the  exception  of  the  black 
smirches  at  the  top  from  the  belching  smoke  stacks 
was  kept  as  neat  and  clean  as  a  country  church. 

Engineers  on  the  night  trains  have  often  told  how, 
as  soon  as  they  rounded  the  curve  leaving  Cos  Cob, 
the  white  bridge  would  loom  up  before  them,  appar- 
ently double  its  actual  size  and  glistening  like  a  snow 
bank  in  the  moonlight.  None  of  the  trainmen  ever 
had  any  affection  for  the  white  bridge.  It  stood  in 
a  spot,  until  within  thirty  years,  the  most  isolated 
between  New  York  and  Springfield.  Overhanging 
hills  covered  with  scrub  oaks  and  tall  cedars,  but  re- 
vealing   white,    spectral-like    tombstones    in    the    old 

[5i] 


THE  WHITE  BRIDGE 

Davis  })iirvint>-  (>r()iin(l,  were  on  the  north,  while  on  the 
other  sides  the  (h'versity  of  forest  and  meadow  land, 
whieh  in  the  glow  of  daylight  were  romantie  in  the 
extreme,  at  night  were  weird  and  nncanny  enough. 

The  white  bridge  was  removed  ahout  1880.  hut  like 
its  neighbor,  the  old  mill,  it  had  been  a  lan(huai"k  for 
many  a  day. 

Queer  stories  were  often  told  by  su])erstitious  en- 
gineers of  the  goblins  that  ])layed  at  night  about  the 
old  bridge  and  swung  theii-  s])eetral  lanterns  before 
the  eab  windows  as  the  loeomotive  leaped  into  the 
resounding  and  ti'embling  strueture. 

In  the  daytime  the  ])laee  was  often  frequented 
by  sehool  ehildren — by  those  who  ought  to  have  been 
at  sehool.  (xirls  and  boys  alike  would  seurry  aeross 
the  ties  as  a  train  rounded  the  eurve  and  hiding  be- 
hind the  great  timbei's  of  the  bridge  would  hold  on 
to  the  iron  braees  till  the  ti'ain  had  thundered  through. 
It  was  a  (huigerous  si)ot  and  eleven  lives  were  the  toll 
of  the  white  bridge. 

Besides  the  ghost  stories  that  the  trainmen  used  to 
tell  about  the  bridge,  tliere  was  one  tale  told  of  this 
sjjot  that  was  really  true. 

About  the  year  18(>()  the  night  train  for  lioston, 
consisting  of  baggage  express  and  sleeping  ears,  was 
made  uj)  at  27th  Street  and  hauled  by  horses  through 
the  Park  iVveniie  tunnel  to  -t'ind  Street.  Here, 
while  the  ears  were  being  eoupled  in  what  was  a  far 
uptown  street,  suri'ounded  by  th.e  whitewashed  eabins 
of  s(juatters.  the  home  of  goats  and  thieves,  the  ex- 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 

press  car  was  boarded  by  two  robbers.  How  they 
were  able  to  force  the  door  and  get  into  the  car  no 
one  can  tell,  but  they  succeeded  either  by  the  aid  of 
a  confederate  trainman  or  by  mere  chance.  Some 
have  said  that  the  door  was  carelessly  left  open  and 
that  the  thieves,  happening  to  be  about,  saw  their 
opportunity  and  seized  it.  Be  that  as  it  may  they 
got  into  the  car  and  shut  the  door  after  them. 

The  car  was  filled  with  treasiu'e — government 
bonds,  bank  notes  and  bags  upon  bags  of  gold  coin. 
No  one  was  ever  able  or  willing  to  tell  just  how  many 
millions  of  dollars  was  in  that  rolling  treasure  house 
that  night. 

As  the  train  started  on  its  trip  how  the  thieves  must 
have  exulted  in  their  rich  find!  The  boxes  and  bags 
in  which  the  securities  and  gold  were  packed,  were 
immediately  broken  open  and  their  contents  exam- 
ined with  care.  JNIany  bags  of  gold  and  packages  of 
bank  notes  were  piled  up  by  the  door  and  the  non- 
negotiable  bonds  and  other  securities  were  left  in  a 
litter  upon  the  floor.  Tlie  gold  and  bank  notes  could 
be  safely  handled  and  of  these  there  was  a  fortune 
larger  than  the  wildest  fancy  of  the  thieves  had  ever 
conceived  of.  What  use  then  to  bother  with  securi- 
ties that  probably  were  registered?  These,  repre- 
senting millions  of  dollars  which  the  robbers  trampled 
in  the  reeling  car  were  to  them  of  no  more  value  than 
so  much  brown  paper.  They  were  surfeited  with  the 
wealth  of  gold  and  bank  notes. 

The  first  stop  to  be  made  was  at  the  Cos  Cob  draw- 

[58] 


TIIK   W  IIITK   H1{I1)(;K 

bridge,  where  all  trains  paused,  and  this  the  thieves 
|)r()I)ahly  knew,  indeed  they  seem  to  have  been 
faniiHar  witli  the  country  about  tlie  wliite  bridge, 
as  the  eircunistances  I  am  about  to  narrate  will 
show. 

As  the  train  approached  this  secluded  spot  the  rob- 
bers began  to  unload  the  car.  The  bags  of  gold  and 
bundles  of  bank  notes  were  thrown  out  as  though  an 
immense  scoop  had  shoveled  them  through  the  door. 
For  a  mile  the  track  was  littered  with  wealth.  As 
the  train  moved  across  the  Cos  Cob  bridge,  the  rob- 
bers had  alighted,  leaving  the  door  open.  This  M^as 
observed  at  Stamford  and  the  robbery  reported. 

Every  effort  was  made  to  recover  the  treasure  and 
to  apprehend  the  r()l)bers  but  not  a  clew  was  left  to 
their  identity.      They  were  never  apprehended. 

Some  of  the  money  came  to  light  and  in  the  most 
peculiar  places.  Bundles  of  bank  notes  were  found 
in  hollow  trees  and  bags  of  gold  to  a  hirgc  amount 
were  found  secreted  among  the  upper  truss  beams 
of  the  white  bridge.  It  was  here  indeed  that  the 
largest  amount  of  the  stolen  treasure  was  discov- 
ered, foi-  the  i-()l)bei-s  had  evidently  believed  it  a 
safe  bank  in  wliich  temporarily  to  deposit  their  ill- 
gotten  hoard.  And  it  doubtless  would  have  been  had 
not  the  jarring  of  a  train  shaken  one  of  the  canvas 
bags  filled  with  gold  ahnost  into  the  lap  of  a  young- 
lady  who  had  baited  her  line  for  crabs  l)eneatli  the  old 
})ridge. 

For  manv  vears  the  railroad  men  called  the  ])rcsent 

[.V.)] 


OTHER  DAYS  IN  GREENWICH 

bridge,  without  roof  and  painted  black,  the  "wb.ite 
bridge"  after  the  one  that  really  was  white. 

About  the  old  white  bridge  more  tales  cluster  tb.an 
I  could  tell  in  a  day.  Tales  of  ball  games  in  the 
layman  ^lead  meadow  near  by,  now  fenced  in  as  a 
part  of  ]Milbank;  tales  of  love  and  tales  of  greed. 

]Many  of  my  readers  will  remember  that  summer 
night  in  1870  when  the  old  bridge  was  filled  with 
boulders  and  cross  ties  into  which  the  shore  line  ex- 
j)ress  ran  with  terrible  force.  That  no  blood  was 
shed  that  night  was  the  will  of  a  kind  Providence, 
which  protected  the  unconscious  occupants  of  the  long- 
line  of  sleeping  cars  that  waited  while  the  trainmen 
tumbled  the  obstructions  into  the  creek  below.  And 
the  same  protection  perhaps  enabled  the  villains  who 
had  planned  a  robbery  to  escape  to  the  woods,  where 
the  engineer  saw  them  stumbling  across  the  graves  in 
the  Davis  Cemetery. 

But  no  recollections  of  the  wliite  bridge  are  pleas- 
anter  than,  to  those  who  remember  it  as  a  rendezvous 
for  crabbers. 

In  the  quiet  days  of  September  when  the  haze  of 
autunm  rested  on  the  creek  and  veiled  the  woods  be- 
yond, who  has  not,  in  other  days,  stretched  himself 
upon  the  bit  of  sand  beneath  the  railway  bank,  now 
covered  by  the  pump  house,  and  waited  for  the  lazy 
bite  of  the  succulent  crab^  Rut  the  crabs  are 
as  scarce  these  days  as  the  gold  in  tlie  span  of  tlie 
new  white  brid"'e. 


t-> 


[00] 


CHAPTER  V 

BAXKSVILLK  AND  STANWK'H 

BAXKSVIIJ.E  lies  at  tlie  extreme  iioi-theiMi 
e(]<^'e  of  the  tow!i.  It  lias  a  church  of  (juaiiit 
cousti'iictiou.  The  })ost  office  is  in  a  viUage  store, 
located  a  few  feet  over  the  hue,  in  the  State  of  Xew 
York. 

The  outlook  of  the  villa<»'e  is  towards  th.e  north 
where  the  wooded  hills  of  North  Castle  and  ^liddle 
Patent  are  in  full  si<»ht.  The  water  courses  all  run 
to  the  north  and  eventually  join  the  waters  of  the 
]Mianus. 

^lany  years  ago — perhaps  seventy — when  shoe- 
making  was  all  done  by  hand,  tlie  village  of  Banks- 
ville  was  largely  engaged  in  that  industry.  For 
thirty  years  or  more  it  kept  in  touch  with  Greenwich 
through  the  Banksville  stage,  which  carried  mail  and 
passengers.  Silas  Derby,  th.e  owner  of  the  line,  was 
a  (juaint  old  character  who  passed  away  some  years 
ago  but  who  was  well-known  })y  the  older  generation. 
His  mode  of  dress,  the  trim  of  liis  whiskers  and  his 
cheery  "Yaj)"  to  his  steeds  will  be  readily  recalled. 

Several  years  ago  a  busy  South  Street  merchant 
encjuired  whether  l)eri)y  was  still  driving  the  Banks- 
ville stage  and  being  answered  in  the  affii'mative  I'.e 
went  on  to  say: 

"When  I  was  a  voung  lad  mv  grandmother,  who 

[61] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 


lived  on  tlie  west  road,  Stanwich,  would  send  nie  out 
to  meet  the  stage  for  the  mail  as  it  made  its  daily 
trip.  Often  through  the  summer,  I  made  the  trip  to 
the  steamboat  dock,  fished  all  day  and  came  back  with 
Derby  at  night.  Recently  I  had  occasion  to  again 
visit  Greenwich,  after  an  absence  of  twenty  years, 

and  there  was  dear  old 
Derby,  the  only  familiar 
f)bject,  driving  exactly  the 
same  rig  he  had  in  the 
early  sixties." 

Of  course  the  man's  im- 
pression of  the  rig  was  in- 
correct, althougli  the  style 
and  color  of  the  turnout 
never  changed. 

Once  I  interviewed  the 

old    gentleman.     It    was 

Amono"  other  things  he 


CHURCH  AT  BAXKSVU-LE 


near  the  close  of  his   life. 

told  me  the  following  incidents: 

"Along  in  the  late  fifties  INIiss  Ann  Purdy  came 
from  Syracuse  to  Banksville.  She  bought  the  house 
opposite  the  post  office,  considerably  enlarged  it  and 
established  a  boarding  school  for  girls  and  boys. 
]Much  to  the  surprise  of  everyone  in  Banksville  she 
soon  had  a  houseful  and  roomed  a  few  outside. 

"At  that  time  there  was  no  regular  communication 
with  the  village  and  she  induced  me  to  start  the 
Banksville  and  Greenwich  stage  line.  She  lent  me 
one  hundred  dollars  and  I  made  mv  first  trip  Jime 

[62] 


BANKSVILLE  AND  STAXWICH 

'2:i.  18(11.  Vol-  many  yeai-.s  I  cai-ricd  ten  |)a.s,SL'ii(>'ers 
daily.  The  })ui)ils  and  teaehei's  pati'oni/ed  nie  freely 
and  even  after  the  school  was  abandoned,  way  down 
into  the  seventies,  the  business  was  |)retty  _<>()od. 


THK  STAXWICH  CHLKC  II       Mil    lU  I     UHl'SH   HO.ME- 
STKAl)  IX  THK   H ACKCHtOUXI) 
Plioto    liy    .1.    C.    Hoiinett 

"^ly  line  was  a  feeder  to  the  steainei-  John  lioiucr 
and  the  president,  Sanford  Mead,  always  |)assed  me 
to  Xew  York  and  l)aek,  but  I  seldom  went.  In 
those  days  the  members  of  the  Amerieus  Club  often 
hired  me  to  drive  them  to  Rye  Beach  or  Stamford 
and  many  times  I  had  l?oss  Tweed  with  me  on  the 
front  seat. 

"I  left  Banksville  at  six  o'clock,  caught  the  Homer 

[r>;j] 


OTHER  DAYS  IN  GREENWICH 

at  seven  and  left  my  railroad  passengers  for  the  7.21 
train.  This  gave  me  all  day  in  the  village,  as  I  did 
not  leave  on  the  return  trip  until  the  arrival  of  the 
steamer  at  ahout  six  o'clock. 

"But  husiness  isn't  what  it  once  was  and  sometimes 


-Vm:.-*gi"«i%  ■;*'•■-*  • 


WILLIA.M   BRUSH   HO.MKSTKAD 

Staiiwich 

Photo   l)y   J.    C.    Bi)iiiU'tt 

on  the  up  trip  the  hills  seem  steeper  and  longer  than 
they  once  did  and  the  horses  seem  to  pull  with  a 
greater  effort.  Then  it  is  that  1  realize  that  the 
whole  rig  from  the  driver  down  is  getting  old  and 
that  the  hest  of  life  lies  far,  far  hehind." 

South  of  Banksville  lies  Stanwich,  even  more 
quaint  than  its  sister  village.  It  had  a  country  store 
that  was  closed  when  the  rural  free  delivery  drove 

[64] 


BAXKSVTLLE  AXD  STAXWTCII 

out  the  postoffice,  hut  tlierc  still  reinaius  au  old  inn, 
now  used  as  a  dwelling  and  a  heautiful  eountry 
chureh.  huilt  in  the  latter  ])art  of  the  eighteenth 
century. 

Its  graceful  white  s])ire  first  conies  in  view  as  one 
drives  north  hv  Kockwood  Lake.  The  wide  shini^les 
that  cover  it  are  hand  wi'ouyht  and  its  laroe  windows 
are  glazed  with  diminutive  panes.  What  a  crime  it 
would  he  to  su])])lant  those  ancient  lights  with  modern 
stained  glass  windows! 

A  heautiful  stained  glass  window  is  a  joy  forever, 
provided  it  is  correctly  placed.  Such  a  window  in  a 
country  church,  which  nestles  among  trees,  or  is 
shadowed  hy  mountains,  or  commands  a  hroad  pros- 
pect of  hill  and  dale,  is  an  intrusion.  15ut  in  a  city 
church  among  hrick  walls,  the  heauty  of  stained  glass 
takes  the  place  of  nature's  decoration,  and  helps  the 
worshiper  to  forget  the  sordid  world  ahout  him. 

In  this  connection  I  must  (juote  from  the  Right 
Rev.  William  Lawrence,  the  Rishop  of  JNIassa- 
chusetts.  Recently  he  s])()ke  of  the  rededication  of 
the  old  Xortl]  Church  in  Hoston — the  ancient  house 
of  worshi{)  from  whose  helfry  the  lanterns  are  said  to 
have  shone  forth  which  guided  I'aul  Revere  on  his 
famous  ride: 

"Fortunately  no  stained  glass  has  ever  desecrated 
these  windows.  Xo  painted  glass  can  give  greater 
beauty  than  the  sky  and  th.e  swinging  hranches  of  the 
trees  seen  through  the  trans[)arent  panes  of  a  Colonial 
church." 

[0.5] 


OTHER  DAYS  IN  GREENWICH 

Everything  about  tlie  chiircli.  inside  and  out.  is 
consistent  with  its  age.  It  rests  peacefully  under  the 
shadow  of  great  trees  that  have  afforded  comfort  and 
delight  to  several  generations. 

In  other  days  much  of  this  territory  belonged  to 
Charles,  William  and  Shubel  Brush,  with  the  Inger- 
sols  also  ajjpearing  as  land  owners. 

JNIany  of  the  Stanwich  people  were  interested  in 
tanning,  Shubel  Brush  being  the  last  to  engage  in  it. 
He  lived  on  the  corner,  back  of  the  church  in  an 
ancient  house,  which  since  his  death  has  been  much 
changed  architecturally. 

His  brother,  William,  lived  on  the  cross  road  in  an 
antique  mansion  now  included  within  the  boinids  of 
Semloh  farm.  Reverse  the  spelling  and  you  have  the 
owner's  name. 

The  little  village  of  Stanwich  is  suggestive  of  by- 
gone days,  when  the  stagecoach  to  Bedford  made  a 
stop  at  the  old  Inn.  That  building  is  now  owned 
by  ]\Irs.  A.  I^eta  Bonnett,  of  New  Haven,  and  Har- 
riette  L.  I^ockwood,  granddaughters  of  Shubel 
Brush.  It  presents  a  story  of  the  long  ago  in  its 
sweeping  roof  and  quaint  windows. 

Within,  its  wide  fireplaces,  in  each  room,  and  its 
brick  oven  suggest  the  near-])y  forest,  with  its  ample 
supply  of  wood.  The  second  floor  was  designed  for 
a  ball  room  and  as  occasion  required,  the  partitions 
were  hooked  to  the  ceiling  and  the  young  people, 
with  their  friends  from  Bedford,  and  North  Castle, 
made  merrv  all  the  night  long. 

[66] 


BAXKSVILLE  AND   STAXW  ICII 

Stories  are  told  of  a  Hoiirishino-  hoys'  hoardiiii;- 
school  on  the  west  road  kei)t  hy  Tlieodore  June. 

There  were  dehatin<»-  elul)s  in  tlie  ohleii  (hiys  of 
which  there  are  many  traditions  and  a  few  stray 
records. 

Sometimes  I  have  heard  this  liamlet  called  Kast 
Stanwich.  The  old  records  give  the  name  of  Staii- 
wich  to  all  the  territory  helow  Banksville,  extending 
east  as  far  as  "the  Farms"  in  Stamford  Township, 

The  direct  road  from  the  Borough  to  Bedford 
through  Stanwich  has  always  been  known  as  ''the 
west  street." 

There  seems  to  be  no  reason  for  applying  the  name 
of  East  Stanwich  to  what  is  now  and  has  always  been 
the  center  of  Stanwich. 


■H| 

£i^"'^-/^s-> 

€SHH 

^^^ 

I^skH'^^ 

'^9H^H 

^B 

^^■V'':i6sl^, 

in^B 

^^B 

R^-*-"'" 

^^^^^H 

r^^t^'     N 

■B 

felfe'v.    ___ 

-  .:_..        ^^BM 

BK^-awii  ^  .^i^^        - 

m 

SBg.-ll—i 

_i-j  i'-^^^B 

1 

H 

Ol.l)    INX    AT  SIANW  It'll 
I'hotd    l.\    ,1.   C.    15(UUR-tt 


[<w] 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE    DAVIS    DOCK 

JUST  at  tliis  point  1  must  write  of  tlie  Davis' 
Dock,  over  whieli  there  has  been  much  hti<ja- 
tion.  and  the  ownership  of  which  is  still  misunder- 
stood. At  a  town  meeting  held  in  Greenwich,  June 
15,  1716,  the  following  resolution  was  adopted.  It 
has  generally  been  known  as  the  Justus  Bush  grant 
and  I  give  it  exactly  as  it  appears  in  the  Common 
j^lace  book  in  our  I^and  Records. 

"The  Towne  by  vot  do  give  &  grant  unto  ]Mr. 
"Justice  Bush  of  Xew  York  the  privilege  of  the 
"stream  of  horseneck  brook  below  the  country  road  to 
"build  a  grist  mill  or  mills  upon  &  sd  Justice  Bush 
"is  to  build  said  mill  within  two  years  time  from  this 
"date  k  to  orind  for  the  inhabitants  of  Green- 
"wicli  what  grain  they  shall  bi'ing  to  his  mill  to  be 
"ground  &  not  to  put  them  by  for  strangers  &  he  is 
"to  have  liberty  to  gett  stones  &  timber  upon  com- 
"mon  lands  for  buildings  and  mill  &  also  to  sett  up 
"a  store  house  upon  said  landing,  &  said  Justice 
"Bush  is  constantly  to  maintain  a  sufficient  grist  mill 
"u];on  sd  stream,  exce})t  said  mill  should  come  to 
"some  accident  bv  fire  or  otherwise,  &  said  Justice 

[fi8] 


THE  DAVIS  DOCK 

"Biisli  do  not  rel)iiil(I  her  a<>aiii  witliiii  three  years 
"time  then  the  said  stream  &  privileges  to  return  for 
"their  use  and  benefit  as  formerly;  and  further  ^Ir. 
"Ebenezer  Mead  &  Angel  Husted  cV,  John  Ferris  are 
"chosen  to  lay  out  the  landint*'  and  highway  on  the 
"north  side  of  Horseneek  brook." 

What  did  this  oi-ant  mean?  Was  the  mill  to  be 
built  on  town  property  or  on  the  Bush  pr()])erty,  the 
grant  applying  only  to  tlie  use  of  the  brook  which 
Mr,  Bush  had  under  his  title  to  the  shore  of  the 
stream?  The  Davis  family,  who  succeeded  the  Bush 
ownership,  always  supposed  they  owned  the  fee  of  the 
land  and  for  many  generations  they  ])ai(l  the  town 
taxes  thereon. 

In  1837  considerable  contention  arose  over  this 
property,  which  then  included  a  dock  as  well  as  a 
mill.  But  the  only  (juestion  was  as  to  whether  it  was 
a  public  or  private  dock.  The  distinction  is  wholly 
as  to  whether  wliarfage  has  been  charged  or  not.  A 
private  dock  may  be  maintained  upon  one's  own 
shore  front  but  when  the  owner  accepts  wharfage  it 
immediately  becomes  a  {)ublic  dock  to  which  any  ves- 
sel may  tie  upon  the  due  tender  of  wharfage. 

After  the  death  of  Eleanor  R.  Davis  this  ])roperty 
belonged,  under  her  will,  to  Mrs.  Amelia  J.  Dougan 
and  an  action  was  tried  in  the  Court  of  Common 
Pleas  between  INIrs.  Dougan  and  tlie  town  to  deter- 
mine her  rights  therein. 

It  seems  from  the  decision  of  the  Court  of  Errors, 
to  which  the  case  went  for  final  deternn'nation,  that 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 

after  the  litifration  was  over  the  ciuestion  of  the  own- 
ership of  the  land  was  still  iiiuleterinined. 

There  was  a  tradition  that  the  same  question  had 
once  before  been  tried  and  considerable  time  and 
money  were  expended  in  an  effort  to  find  the  old 
files. 

Finally,  after  the  Doiigan  case  was  disposed  of 
the  papers  were  discovered  among  the  criminal  files, 
stored  in  the  garret  of  the  County  Court  House  in 
Bridgeport.  These  files  disclosed  the  fact  that  in 
1837  the  question  as  to  whether  the  dock  was  public 
or  private  was  determined  in  favor  of  Walter  Davis 
then  the  owner. 

Capt.  Charles  Studwell.  a  boat  owner,  assumed 
to  use  the  dock  without  paying  ]Mr.  Davis 
wharfage  and  thereupon  he  brought  suit  claiming 
$30  damages.  The  case  was  tried  before  Ephraim 
Golden,  a  justice  of  the  peace,  and  the  hearing  began 
September  12.  1837,  at  the  Inn  of  Benjamin  Page 
at  Mianus  Landing. 

Jacob  Dayton,  Jr.,  was  the  cionstable  who  served 
the  papers  and  his  fees  were  taxed  at  ninety-four 
cents. 

After  due  hearing,  tlie  Court,  on  October  11,  ren- 
dered a  judgment  for  $8.00  for  the  plaintiff,  Walter 
Davis,  with  his  costs  taxed  at  $10.41,  and  an  appeal 
was  taken  to  the  County  Court. 

This  suit  was  remarkable  foi*  the  personnel  of  the 
Counsel  engaged. 

Charles   Hawley,   of    Stamford,    one   of   the   most 

[70] 


THE  DAVTS  DOCK 

eminent  lawyers  of  the  State,  si"iie(l  the  wi'it.  lie 
appeared  in  tlie  Pa<>e  Inn  at  Mianns  and  tried  and 
won  the  suit  for  Mr.  Davis. 

Assoeiated  witli  liini  was  the  famous  Roger  Minot 
Sherman,  wlio,  shortly  after  the  trial  of  the  ease,  he- 
came  a  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court.  lie  died  in 
Fairfield  in  1844. 

The  trial  of  the  case  created  intense  excitement  in 
town  and  was  the  su})ject  of  much  discussion  for 
years  afterward.  Capt.  Studwell,  heing  defeated, 
appealed  through  his  counsel,  Joshua  B.  Ferris,  of 
Stamford,  then  a  youth,  to  the  County  Court  (since 
abolished)  where  the  case  was  tried  before  a  .jui'v 
consisting  of  Walter  Sherwood,  Stephen  Raymond, 
jNIoses  Birkly,  Jr.,  Christopher  Hubbel,  Renjamin 
C.  Smith,  Samuel  Reardsley,  William  R.  Dyer, 
Horace  Waterbury,  John  Holmes,  Isaac  Scofield, 
Noah  Knapp  and  John  Young.  The  trial  occurred 
in  Fairfield,  then  th.e  County  Seat,  in  xVi)ril,  1<S:J<). 
and  resulted  in  a  judgment  for  ^Ir.  Davis.  An  ar- 
rest of  judgment  was  filed  and  final  judgment  was 
not  entered  until  May  18,  1840. 

The  witnesses  who  appeared  before  the  Justice  at 
Mianus  and  before  th.e  County  Coui't  were  Silas 
Davis,  a  son  of  the  ])laintiff',  R.  Morrell.  M.  Mead. 
J.  F.  Rush,  William  Hubbard,  Joseph  Rrush.  Raul 
Ferris  and  Samuel  Ferris.  After  this,  the  Davises, 
for  several  generations,  continued  to  collect  wharfage. 
In  Mrs.  Dougan's  case,  referred  to  aho\e.  the 
Supreme  Court  of  Imtois  decided  that  the  d;:ck  was 

[Tl] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREEXWICH 

a  public  (lock  but  tlie  question  of  the  ownership  of 
the  land  was  not  determined.  Tlie  case  is  reported  in 
77  Con.  Rep.,  page  444. 

In  terminating  the  opinion  written  by  Judge  Hall, 
the  Court  says:  "The  answer  does  not  allege  owner- 
ship in  the  town  but  that  the  locus  [the  place]  was  a 
public  dock  and  landing  place." 


[72] 


CIIAPTKU  VI 1 

HOC'KKIlXiK    AND   DKAKFIKLl) 

RECURRING  again  to  the  centrally-located 
farms  as  outlined  in  the  l)e<J'innin<>-  of  C'ha])ter 
I,  1  desire  herein  to  include  in  one  description  the 
farms  of  Thomas  A.  Mead  and  Zaccheus  ^lead. 

These  two  farms,  divided  l)y  the  Glenville  road, 
comprisin<^'  three  or  four  hunch'ed  acres,  stretched 
away  from  the  Post  Road,  in  valley  and  hill  to  the 
north  and  west,  ending  in  woodland. 

The  Thomas  A.  Mead  homestead  was  huilt  in 
1799  hy  Richard  ^Nlead  and  is  known  as  Dear  field. 
The  name  is  not  misspelled  hut  has  a  significant 
meanino;.  Various  stories  are  told  of  its  derivation: 
the  one  most  likely  to  he  true  is  as  follows:  One  of 
Richard  Mead's  family,  in  writing  to  a  friend,  de- 
scrihed  the  fields  of  waving  grain  through  the  valleys, 
along  the  knolls  and  ridges  to  the  "Hemlock  Woods"; 
all  visihle  from  the  windows  of  the  Ijouse  and  char- 
acterizes them  as  "dear  fields." 

Dearfield  Drive  takes  its  name  from  the  same  inci- 
dent. 

The  Thomas  A.  ^lead  farm  is  now  known  as  Edge- 
wood  Park,  and  the  Zaccheus  Mead  farm  as  Rock 
Ridge. 

[73] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 

Fifty  years  ago  looking  north  from  the  Post  Road 
at  all  that  great  acreage,  the  two  farms  seemed  one. 
Tliere  were  plowed  fields,  waving  grain  and  rock- 
rihbed  hills,  Mdiile  to  the  west  the  beautiful  Hemlock 
Woods  always  took  the  last  rays  of  the  setting  sun. 

The  Zaccheus  ]Mead  homestead,  lately  the  home  of 


"DEARFIELDS" 

Thos.  A.  Mead  Homestead 
Built   171)9 

Charles  B.  Read,  deceased,  stood  out  all  alone, 
prominent  against  the  northern  sky.  In  all  that 
great  stretch  from  the  Post  Road  to  the  woods  at  the 
north  and  west,  there  was  scarcely  a  tree,  excepting 
two  or  three  apple  orchards  and  tlie  small  wood  lot 
near  the  residence  of  Judge  Charles  D.  Burnes  on 
Brookside  Drive. 

Farmers    always    were    sohcitous    for    their    lands 

[74] 


rockrii)(;k  and  dearfield 

iindei"  cultivation  and  a  sliaded  field  was  usually  un- 
productive. Hut  I  i-ecall  how  desolate  that  old 
Zaccheus  ^lead  homestead  looked  standing-  all  alone 
ag-ainst  the  steely  gray  winter  sky. 

From  the  same  point  of  view  it  is  now  lost  in  a 


'IIIO.M  AS    A.   Ml',  A  I) 

17f»i)-lS!IJ 


jungle  of  shade  trees  or  hy  the  ohstiMiction  of  inter- 
vening huildings. 

This  great  territory  was  divided  hy  ancient  stone 
walls,  thick  and  straight  and  fre(|uently  intersected 
by  other  similar  walls.      These  walls  were  made  of 

[T.5] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 

boulders  that  could  be  drawn  only  ])y  four  pair  of 
oxen  and  lifted  to  their  place  by  a  derrick.  Walls 
were  thus  frequent  because  of  the  supply  of  stone 
dug  from  the  earth  to  make  the  cultivated  iields. 

Not  far  from  the  Edgewood  Inn,  which,  with  the 
Park  of  the  same  name,  occupies  a  small  portion  of 
the  Thomas  A.  ^Nlead  farm,  one  may  still  see  a  few 
examples  of  the  wall-building  skill  of  the  generation 
that  lived  before  and  just  after  the  Revolution. 
There  are  still  remaining  sliort  pieces  of  old  walls, 
covered  with  moss  and  vines,  so  wide  that  a  horse  and 
buggy  could  be  driven  along  the  top.  Eut  most  of 
the  old  walls  have  been  ])roken  to  pieces  and  are 
occupying  their  place  in  modern  liouse  construction. 

The  old  homestead  at  Rock  Ridge  was  owned  and 
occupied  by  two  men  of  the  same  name — Zaccheus 
Mead.  The  first  was  the  grandfather  of  the  second, 
but  I  have  no  knowledge  of  the  generation  between, 
except  that  Job  and  Elsie  were  the  parents  of 
Zaccheus. 

However,  the  old  homestead  and  its  one  hundred 
and  fifty  acres  went,  I)y  will,  from  grandfather  to 
grandson  of  the  same  name. 

()])p{)site  the  "Roulders"  now  the  home  of  E.  B. 
Close,  the  rock  caverns  of  that  jagged  granite  pile, 
rising  more  than  fifty  feet  in  height,  afforded  a  safe 
hiding  place,  when  the  British  red  coats  made  life 
uncomfortal)le  for  the  Greenwich  patriots.  There 
was  no  road  near  there  when  I  was  a  boy,  but  one 
(lav,  going  through  those  woods  in  company  with  my 

[70] 


rockrii)(;k  and  deahiield 

father  and  Col.  Tlionias.  as  Mi'.  Mead  was  almost 
always  ealled.  tlie  lattei'  pointed  out  the  I'oeks  as  the 
liiding  plaee  of  refu<^ees  din-inL>'  the  wai'.  It  wasn't 
quite  clear  to  nie  what  was  meant  hy  retu<^ees  hut 
the  words  sounded  spookisli,  and  the  surrounding- 
dense  woods,  with  the  murmiu"  of  Ilorseneck  Brook, 


/.ACCUKTS   .MKAI)    1  K  ).Nn:S  TI'.A  H 

In    I  So!) 

were  not  a<4'i"eeal)le  to  my  nerves  and  I  nevei-  l»'o 
throug-h  there  without  i-eeallin<4-  the  incident.  The 
hrook  is  the  same  and  so  are  the  trees  and  I'ocks  hut 
the  human  hahitations  have  taken  awav  all  the  som- 
hei-  mystery  of  my  tii'st  visit. 

It  is  ]j()ssihle  that  the  old  homestead  still  standini^- 
suj)])lanted  one  earliei"  huilt,  hut  I  am  inclined  to  he- 

[TT] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREEXWICH 

lieve  that  the  first  one,  an  old  sweep-})ack,  was  prob- 
ably enlarged  and  improved,  thns  creating  the  present 
building.  But  whether  so  or  not  the  present  house 
is  the  oldest  in  Roek  Ridge. 

Inside  I  believe  it  is  appropriately  furnished  in 
antique  and  certainly  with  much  more  luxury  than 
was  enjoyed  by  either  of  its  former  (jccupants. 

The  first  Zaccheus  was  an  old  man  when  he  died, 
October  27.  1846.  Having  lived  all  his  life  in  the 
old  place  lie  had  gathered  about  him  a  few  Windsor 
chairs,  as  well  as  some  straight  back  rush  bottoms, 
and  on.  a  winter  night,  when  the  great  open  fireplace 
was  the  only  means  of  heating  the  living  room,  the 
big  high-backed  settle  was  the  most  comfortable  spot 
in  which  to  crack  nuts,  eat  apples  or  drink  cider  be- 
fore the  cheerful  fire. 

If  some  of  the  Rock  Ridge  folks  could  see  the 
house  as  it  was  then,  how  they  would  wax  enthusi- 
astic over  the  ancient  high-posted  and  canopied  beds, 
the  mahogany  tables  and  ])rass  warming  pans;  the 
blue  dishes  in  the  corner  cupboards  and  all  those 
quaint  and  lowly  things  that  made  the  Colonial  house- 
keeper contented  and  happy.  He  had  all  these 
things  because  they  and  many  more  articles  are 
enumerated  in  the  inventory  of  his  estate.  Beyond 
these  simple  articles  of  personal  property  he  had 
nothing  l)ut  the  wagon,  the  pung  and  the  chaise. 

Zaccheus  made  his  will  on  the  loth  day  of  April. 
18.*J8. — thirteen  years  before  his  death.  And  thereby 
the  old  farm  went  to  the  grandson,  Zaccheus,  subject 

[78] 


ROCKRIDGE  AXD  DEARIIELD 

to  tile  life  use  of  one-tliird  hy  the  widow.  Her  name 
Wiis  Dehoi'ah  and  she  eontinued  to  enjoy  her  life 
estate  until  September  8,  18.5.'}. 

The  old  man  (j'ave  Dehorah  only  th.e  use  of  one- 


ZACCHEIS  .MI;aI)   Jm) 
179S-IS7: 

thii'd  of  the  farm  and  the  buildings  and  he  must  have 
strained  a  ])oint  in  his  eonee])tion  of  the  law  of  dower 
when  he  gave  hei"  the  unrestrieted  use  of  all  his  house- 
hold furniture  "exeept  the  eloek  and  hiix-h  l)edstea(l 
and  })ed  and  bedding  and  warming  pan."  The  elock 
was  a  tall  one  that  stood  in  the  living  room  while  the 

[T9] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 

banjo  clock  that  liuiig  in  the  liall  was  called  the  time- 
piece. 

What  has  become  of  all  those  interesting  old  relics? 
They  must  have  remained  in  the  homestead  many 
years,  but  I  imagine  that  finally  when  the  clock  and 
the  timepiece,  in  the  days  of  a  later  generation  re- 
fused to  go,  they  were  discarded  for  modern  on.es  on 
the  theory  th.at  they  were  old  and  all  worn  out.  I 
th.ink  the  second  Zaccheus  nuist  have  kept  them,  be- 
cause as  I  recall  him.  during  war  times,  he  was  just 
such  an  old-fashioned  man  as  woidd  hold  on  to  the 
goods  of  his  ancestors.  He  was  accustomed  to  drive 
along  the  dusty  road  every  Sunday  in  his  antique 
wagon  drawn  by  a  fat  and  logy  gray  horse,  headed 
for  the  Secon.d  Congregational  Church,  where  he 
stayed  till  the  close  of  the  afternoon  service  at  three 
o'clock.  His  wife  and  his  only  child,  Hannah  R. 
jNIead,  were  always  with  liim. 

]Many  are  still  living  who  recall  with  interest  the 
members  of  this  quaint  family. 

Hannah  came  into  possession  of  the  farm  in  the 
spring  of  1872  and  there  she  and  her  mother  lived, 
honored  and  respected  by  all  who  knew  them. 

Hannah  died  in  1882  and  her  mother,  I^aura 
INIead,  continued  to  live  in  the  old  homestead  until 
January  18,  189.5.  Although  she  outlived  her  daugh- 
ter so  many  years  slie  was  kindly  cared  for  ])y 
Nathaniel  Witherell  who  supplied  her  with  every 
comfort  in  her  last  days. 

Whv  Nathaniel  AVitherellf 

[80] 


^rzTo..  '^£  ,^^^^^ 


184-1 -l!)()(i 


ROCKKIDGE  AND  DEARFIET.D 

Hannah  R.  jNlead  was  a  very  benevolent  woman. 
In  her  last  will  she  gave  legaey  after  legacy  to 
benevolent  societies  and  institutions  of  learning. 
While  she  reserved  to  lier  mother  a  life  estate,  there 
was  ])ractically  nothing  left  but  the  old  homestead 
and  the  fai-m.  The  old  lady  could  scarcely  be  ex- 
pected to  get  a  living  and  ])ay  her  taxes  from  the 
sale  of  produce.      That  day  had  ])assed. 

As  I  look  over  Rock  Ridge  and  note  its  beautiful 
villas,  its  tine  lawns  and  productive  gardens,  it  is  hard 
to  realize  that  less  than  twenty-five  years  ago  the 
M'hole  place  was  solemnly  appraised  at  twelve  thou- 
sand dollars.  And  what  is  still  more  I'emarkable, 
that  appraisal  is  three  thousand  dollars  less  than  it 
was  after  the  deatli  of  the  first  Zaccheus  in  184G. 

I  am  not  criticizing  the  appraisers  but  only  point- 
ing out  the  fact  that  two  gen.erations  ago  our  farms 
had  a  greater  value  than  they  had  a  generation  ago, 
because  the  value  was  estimated  on  their  productive- 
ness. In  1846  they  were  making  their  owners  rich. 
Did  you  ever  notice  the  old  potato  cellar  on  Round 
Island  and  on  many  of  the  way  back  farms  ^ 

In  1872  all  this  was  changed.  The  great  west  had 
used  up  the  eastern  farmer  and  farms  were  hardly 
salable.  Xow  that  is  all  changed  again.  The  auto- 
mobile has  made  the  distant  farm  available  and  the 
fruit-grower  has  discovered  that  the  New  England 
ap])le  is  the  best  of  all. 

The  farm  being  in  the  market,  Mr.  Witherell 
bought    it    "with    the    widow's    life    estate    reniaiiiiug. 

[83] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 

Tliis  is  liow  lie  got  it.  Everybody,  especially,  a  mis- 
sionary society  or  a  struggling  college,  is  looking  for 
the  present  rather  than  the  t'utvn-e  dollar.  And  a  long- 
list  of  quit-claim  deeds  from  all  the  beneficiaries 
under  Hannah  R.  INIead's  will  shows  how  the  title 
passed.  It  was  an  uncertainty  how  long  the  life 
tenant  would  be  an  encumbrance,  but  three  years  be- 
fore her  death  ]Mr.  A\^itherell  gathered  in  all  the 
shares  and  became  the  owner. 

And  how  fortunate  for  the  old  lady  that  he  did, 
for  wdiile  the  various  benevolent  societies  were  con- 
ducting their  operations  in  foreign  lands  they  might 
not  have  been  so  attentive  to  the  aged  hfe  tenant  at 
Rock  Ridge  as  was  ]Mr.  Witherell. 

The  records  are  silent  as  to  the  cost  of  Rock  Ridge 
but  I  have  it  on  very  good  authority  that  it  was 
$14,500. 

The  roads  and  avenues  Avere  laid  out,  sewer  and 
water  pii)es  introduced  and  when  the  park  was  all 
completed  three  acre  plots  sold  for  $15,000. 

Such  transactions  as  this  account  for  the  remark- 
able growth  of  Greenwich. 

In  1872  the  Zaccheus  jNIead  farm  was  assessed  at 
$12,000,  but  now  Rock  Ridge,  with  all  its  improve- 
ments, pays  taxes  on  an  assessment  fifty  times  greater 
than  that  insignificant  amount. 

Not  long  after  ^Ir.  A^^itherell  came  to  Greenwich 
he  opened  a  Fresh  Air  Home  for  children  at  Indian 
Field.  At  that  time  the  Isaac  Howe  ^lead  home- 
stead was  standing,  and  here  he  located  "The  Fold," 

[84] 


KOCKRIDCxE  AND  DKAHFIKLl) 

as  the  home  was  called,  l^iit  he  discovered  that  no 
facilities  for  obtaining  water  existed,  and  for  this 
reason  he  moved  "The  Fold"  to  Rock  Kidge.  It  was 
located  on  the  cedar  knoll  now  occnpied  hy  William 
F.  Decker's  h.andsome  bungalow.  Not  less  tlian  two 
liiindi'ed  children  were  cared  for  at  one  time. 

In  a  house  nearby  called  "Ch.erryvale,"  owned  by 
Mr.  W'itherell,  for  six  consecutive  seasons  the  Work- 
ing Girls'  Vacation  Society  of  New  York  gave  health- 
ful rest  and  recreation  to  the  hard  working  girls, 
tliirty-tive  at  a  time. 

As  the  town  grew  these  institutions  were  found  to 
be  too  near  the  village,  and  their  abandonment  was 
deemed  advisable. 


[8.5] 


CHAPTER  VIII 

THE   THEODORE   H.   MEAD   FARM 

THE  farms  lying'  to  the  east  of  the  village  he- 
longed  to  Theodore  H.  Mead,  Philander  But- 
ton and  Titus  JMead.  The  Titus  INIead  farm  will  he 
considered  later  and  an  allusion  to  the  Button  farm 
is  included  in  one  of  the  chapters  devoted  to  William 
M.  Tweed. 

The  Theodore  H.  ]Mead  farm  consisted  of  sixty- 
five  acres,  according  to  the  record,  hut  was  actually 
ahout  eighty  acres  in  extent.  It  included  the  ancient 
house  at  the  foot  of  Putnam  Hill,  now  owned  })y 
John  ^Nlaher.  It  was  from  the  front  porch  of  tliis 
house,  in  the  early  morning  of  Fehruary  2(5,  1779, 
that  Gen.  Ebenezer  ]Mead  saw  Gen.  Putnam  make 
his  famous  escape  from  the  British  dragoons.  It 
was  the  General's  grandson,  Theodore,  who  owned 
and  occupied  the  house  when  I  first  saw  it. 

It  is  difficult  now  to  realize  that  in  1859  Tlieodore 
H.  Mead  was  only  thirty-seven  years  old  and  that 
when  he  died,  January  18,  1876,  he  was  hut  fifty-four 
years  old.  He  always  seemed  an  elderly  man,  owing 
perhaps  to  the  fact  that  my  eyes  were  youthful  and 
also  to  the  peculiar  mode  of  dress  ado])ted  hy  ]Mr. 
Mead.     He  alwavs  wore  a  slouch  hat,  a  shirt  tliat 

[86] 


THE  THEODORE  H.  MEAD  FARM 

was  decidedly  negligee  and  trousers  thi'iist  into  tlie 
tops  of  hoots  that  wei'e  never  l)hieked.  He  rarely 
wore  a  coat.  He  liad  the  liahit  of  riding  to  the  vil- 
lage for  his  mail,  without  a  saddle  and  often  without 
a  hridle.  There  was  nothing  ahout  the  man  oi-  al)()ut 
his  farm  suggestive  of  tidiness.  Tlie  hai's  were 
generally  down  and  his  cattle  out. 

And  yet,  notwithstanding  these  defects,  he  was  a 
man  well  horn  and  well  schooled.  He  was  proud  of 
his  ancestry  and  of  the  fact  that  he  was  horn  in  the 
old  homestead  at  the  foot  of  Putnam  Hill  that  had 
housed  his  warrior  grandsire.  His  wife  was  the 
daughter  of  Rev.  William  Cooper  Mead,  D.D., 
LL.D.,  of  Xorwalk,  an  eminent  divine  well  known 
throughout  New  England. 

His  father  married  twice  and  he  was  the  youngest 
of  eleven  children.  He  had  a  half-hrother.  Rev. 
Ebenezer  Mead,  who  was  a  Congregational  minister. 

He  often  expressed  the  regret  that  his  father  was 
not  able  to  afford  him  a  liberal  and  professional  edu- 
cation. He  died  in  the  same  room  in  wliich  he  was 
born. 

He  had  converted  tlie  ten  acre  meadow  into  a  pond, 
since  known  as  "Ten  Acres,"  splendid  for  skating  but 
used  for  the  purpose  of  gathering  ice  and  for  many 
years  he  alone  dealt  in  it.  Just  east  of  the  home- 
stead was  a  mill  site,  still  extant,  which  afforded  ex- 
cellent water  jjower  by  which  a  saw  nn'll  and  cider 
mill  were  in  commission  all  the  year  round.  It  is 
only  a  few  years  ago  that  tlie  mill  was  removed  but 

[87] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  CxREENWICH 

the  pond  remains  an  ornament  to  tlie  ]\Iilton  C. 
Nichols  place,  recently  erected  near  it. 

Giving  attention  to  tlie  mill  and  ice  crop  explained 
in  part  why  the  farm  was  not  more  carefully  culti- 
vated. Furtliermore  his  sixty-five  acres  included 
considerable  woodland  from  which  wood  was  carted 
to  various  people  about  the  village  and  in  Cos  Cob. 
The  balance,  devoted  to  cultivation,  was  probably  no 
more  than  enough  to  maintain  his  oxen,  a  few  cows, 
shee])  and  a  pair  of  horses. 

Another  reason  for  the  lack  of  attention  given  to 
the  farm  and  mill  was  jNIr.  JNIead's  growing  passion 
for  speculation. 

He  was  always  in  a  hurry  to  get  ricli  and  followed 
the  gold  market  with  a  vigilant  eye.  During  tlie 
war  of  1861  and  up  to  1879  gold  was  at  a  premium 
over  currency  which  n.ecessitated  its  purchase  in  the 
open  market  when  recjuired  for  mercantile  piu'poses 
or  the  payment  of  customs  duties.  The  gold  board 
in  Xew  York  city,  as  the  exchange  was  called,  was 
opened  to  trade  in  gold  coin,  just  as  stocks  are  in  the 
regular  exchange. 

Frequently  gold  fluctuated  rapidly  and  many 
countrymen,  like  JNIr.  Mead,  were  interested  in  buy- 
ing and  selling  for  a  cpiick  profit.  He  \vas  therefore 
always  a  borrower  and  constantly  in  trouble  with 
small  local  creditors.  A  large  number  of  attach- 
ments were  filed  against  his  farm  and  sometimes 
judgments  were  entered  against  liim.  This  condi- 
tion of  affairs  arose  from  his  inattention  to  business 

[88] 


THE  TIIKODOKK  II.   MKAl)  1  ARM 

and  not  because  lie  desired  to  ignore  tlie  demands  of 
creditors.  Whenever  he  was  sued  he  took  it  as  a 
matter  of  course,  paid  the  costs,  treated  tlie  sheriff 
to  a  ghiss  of  cider  and  re])eated  the  operation  two  or 
three  times  witliin  tlie  next  week. 

Volimie  .-31)  of  the  land  records  devoted  to  i-eal 
estate  attachments  tells  the  full  story  of  Theodore's 
troubles,  tliough  per]ia])s  I  ouyht  not  to  characterize 
them  thus  for  ^Ir.  ^lead  rarely  was  troubled  with 
anything. 

He  liked  children,  perha])s  because  he  had  none  of 
his  own.  When  the  Cos  Cob  boys,  students  at  the 
Academy,  came  up  the  hill  by  the  mill — a  very  steep 
hill  that  long  ago  disappeared  under  modern  grading 
and  road  making — he  would  often  call  them  in  and 
removing  the  bung  of  a  barrel  filled  with  sweet  cider 
supply  tliem  with:  the  necessary  straws.  If  the  cider 
was  running  thi'ough  the  spout  from  the  press  he 
would  hand  them  a  tin  cup  with  which  to  drink  their 
fill.  In  winter  these  same  boys  and  many  others 
helped  to  float  the  ice  cakes  down  to  the  slide. 

On  one  occasion  Mr.  Mead  was  invited  to  attend  the 
amiual  diiuier  of  the  New  I^'.ngland  Society  in  the 
City  of  New  ^'ork  and  ])i-omptly  accepted. 

He  went  with  my  father  and  I  then  realized  that 
Theodore  II.  Mead,  dressed  in  dark  clothes,  with 
polished  boots  and  a  silk  hat.  was  a  \erv  handsome 
man.  Once  I'iding  along  on  a  bay  nag  that  seemed 
too  frail  to  carry  him,  he  di'ew  u|)  in  front  of  the 
Academy,  then  on  the  corner  where  Dr.  1^\  C.  Ilvde's 

[89] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREEXWICH 

house  stands,  while  the  boys  were  enjoying  tlie  noon 
recess.  CalHno-  us  around  him  he  told  the  story  of 
Putnam's  ride  giving  it  to  us  just  as  he  had  heard  it 
from  the  lips  of  his  grandfather,  an  eye  witness. 

Wlien  "Sir.  ^Nlead  died  his  creditors  were  numerous 
and  eventually  his  estate  was  settled  as  an  insolvent 
estate. 

Col.  Thomas  A.  ^lead  had  loaned  him  ten  thou- 
sand dollars  made  up  of  various  small  sums  and  his 
appeal  from  the  commissioners  on  Theodore's  estate 
furnishes  some  law,  still  unrevoked.  It  is  only  neces- 
sary for  me  to  refer  to  the  46  Vol.  of  Conn.  Reports, 
page  417,  and  to  suggest  that  if  the  details  of  a 
financial  wreck  are  interesting  they  may  there  be 
found. 

I  started  to  tell  about  th.e  farm  but  have  devoted 
most  of  the  chapter  to  its  eccentric  owner. 

The  estate  being  insolvent  all  of  the  farm  was  sold 
at  auction  by  order  of  the  Court  of  Probate.  It  was 
a  rainy  morning  in  the  spring  of  1881,  and  yet  there 
was  a  good  deal  of  money  in  the  crowd  that  gathered 
about  the  auctioneer,  in  front  of  the  old  homestead. 
The  sixty-five  acres,  Mith  ice  house,  mill  right, 
barns  and  the  "Tand  old  Colonial  house,  brought  onlv 
$5,400,  less  than  $100  an  acre.  The  widow,  Cornelia 
J.  ]Mead,  was  then  living  and  as  the  property  was 
sold  subject  to  her  dower  it  had  an  influence  to  de- 
jjress  the  price. 

Subsecpiently,  Solomon  ^lead,  John  Dayton  and 
Allen    H.    Close,    as    distributors    appointed    bv    the 

[90] 


THE  TIIKODORE  H.  .AIEAD  YAJiM 

court,  set  out  to  hei-  tlic  use  for  life  of  tlie  house  and 
about  four  acres  of  land. 

She  died  ou  tlie  2()tli  (hiy  of  October.  1881.  The 
property  went  to  Henry  Wehh  and  afterwai'ds  to 
John  ^Nlalier  and  nuich  of  theii-  fortune  may  he  ti'aeed 
to  that  fortunate  purcliase  on  that  rainy  s|)i-ino-  niorn- 
ino-  in  1881.  If  you  ask  tlie  o-enial  ice  and  coal 
dealer,  John  ^laher.  how  much  he  has  made  ont  of 


lU'iTKK.Mll.K    1    \LI.S 
Photo  by  I.  L.  Mead 

the  farm  he  will  respond  with  a  jolly  lau,L>h  and  noth- 
ing- more.  The  small  ])arcel  recently  sold  is  said  to 
have  brouo-ht  $20,000. 

The  farm  included  a  lar<^e  tract  on  the  south  side 
of  the  road  now  included  in  Alilbank  and  the  famous 
and  romantic  Buttermilk  Falls  tract  on  tlie  north. 
Here  are  the  homes  of  E.  Helcher  Mead  and  J.  M. 
Alenendez,  with  I'listic  ledges,  beautiful  trees,  the  ever 
mui'mni'ingbi'ook  and  the  view  of  Long  Island  Sound. 


CHAPTER  IX 

THE    TITUS    :\IEA1)    FAKM 

IJ1VP:RY  one  knows  Titns  ^Mead's  hill.  It  is  one 
-^  of  the  old  names  that  still  remain.  It  is  appro- 
priate, for  at  its  crest,  for  many  years  lived  a  farmer 
of  that  name.  The  line  of  splendid  maple  trees  a  Ion*;' 
the  road  side  was  planted  l)y  him  nearly  ninety  years 
ago. 

He  died  iMarch  26,  1869,  at  the  age  of  sixty-five 
years.  By  him  were  hnilt  some  of  the  stone  walls 
that  divide  the  fields  an.d  many  of  the  drains  that  have 
made  the  land  so  fertile.  He  was  prominent  in  town 
affairs,  when  1  was  a  hoy,  and  for  many  years  was 
Town  Treasnrer. 

His  wife  was  Lucy  ^Nlumford  ^Nlead.  danghter  of 
Andrew  INIead,  who  died  April  21,  1821.  "a  patriot 
of  the  Revolution, "  according  to  his  epitaph. 

Titns  jNIead  was  one  of  the  wealthy  men  of  his 
time.  He  had  a  large  and  profitahle  farm,  with  a 
short  hanl  to  the  market  sloops.  The  inventory  of 
his  estate  reveals  only  the  choicest  securities  and  a 
long  list  of  local  mortgages. 

He  was  a  liheral  man.  As  the  treasurer  of  a  cer- 
tain lodge,  in  the  village  it  was  said  that  he  alwavs 

[92] 


TTTE   Till   S   MKAl)   FAUM 

|)ai(I  the  hills  altliouL'ji  thi-y  wvvv  I'ai  in  (.xclss  of  the 
rect'ipis  foi"  wliicli  \\v  was  always  imaiiiiiiously  i"e- 
elected. 

He  wrote  his  own  will,  iisiii^-  a  |)i'inte(l  hlaiik  in 
whieh  it  was  necessary  only  to  insert  the  name  of 
I'.is  wife  as  sole  legatee  and  (le\  isee.  He  exeented 
it  July  1),  18()2,  whieh  faet  would  appeal'  of  no 
nionieut    except    that    the    names   of    the    sul)scril)inL>- 


TITUS  MEAD   I  l().\l  I  ,S  11 ,  A  I ) 
In  11S,59 

witnesses  bring  l)ack  to  me  a  \ivi(l  recollection  of  an 
old  wheelwright's  shop  shaded  })y  a  mammoth  bntton- 
l)all  tree  which  stood  where  the  First  Presl)yterian 
Church  now  stands.  Joseph  K.  Kussell  ran  the  shoj) 
and  George  S.  Ray  worked  for  him.  Samuel  Close, 
the  Town  Clerk  and  Justice  of  the  Peace,  had  his 
office  near-hy.  This  office  is  fully  descrihed  in  Cha|)- 
ter  III  of  this  volume. 

These  three  men  witnessed  the  execution  of  the  w  ill 
and  we  can  readily  imagine  wS(juire  Close  calling  the 
(jther  two  to  come  across  to  his  little  office,  while  the 

[93] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  CxREEXWICPI 


shop  was  left  alone,  without  daiifj'er  of  anyone  call- 
ing during-  those  dull  days. 

Titus  ^Mead's  widow  outlived  him  twenty-two 
years  and  many  of  her  personal  friends  survive  her. 
She  was  a  delightful  lady  of  the  old  school  and  it 
always  gave  me  the  greatest  pleasure  to  call  upon  her. 
The  year  after  her  husband's  death,  in  1870,  she 
built   the  house   on   lower  Xorth   Street   since  very 

much  enlarged  by  the  late 

H.    P.     Whittaker,    and 

tn^'^m^.  '1^^^^'  belonging  to  his  es- 

1|  ijs^HL  tate.    He  called  the  place 

"    '  Prescourt. 

living  in  the  village 
was  much  more  to  her 
taste,  than  living  in  the 
old  farmhouse  at  the  top 
of  the  hill,  after  her  hus- 
band had  gone.  But  she 
thought  a  great  deal  of 
the  place  and  although  she  had  many  offers  she  would 
not  part  with  it.  She  did,  however,  sell  many  acres  of 
her  farm,  including  Crest  View  to  Henry  C.  Boswell, 
and  the  William  H.  Teed  and  Tliomas  Young  tracts. 
"The  Chimneys"  and  "Athelcroft"  were  built  by 
Clarence  JNI.  Hyde  and  his  late  brf)ther  on  a  portion  of 
]Mrs.  jNIead's  farm.  It  l)ecame  the  good  fortune  later 
of  Mrs.  Mary  E.  Andrews  to  purchase  from  the  Lucy 
]M.  Mead  estate  the  valuable  tract  u])on  Avliich  stands 
the   fine   house   built   bv   her   and    since   her   decease 

■[94.] 


MRS.  LUCY  MUMFOUD  .MEAD 

181()-18!)1 


THE  TITUS  ^NIEAD  FARM 

owned  l)y  Irm- daiio-liter,  Mrs.  F.  Kissaiii  Hi'owii.  She 
a'so  owns  tlic  old  Titus  Mead  homestead  and  she  and 
her  h.ushaiid  liave  sliown  tlieii-  wisdom  and  good  taste 
in  i'etainin<>'  the  old  lioiise  mueli  as  it  ap]K'are(l,  in 
the  (hiys  that  followed  the  lievolution  when  it  was 
one  of  the  mansions  of  the  town. 

AdjoininL>'  the  Titus  Mead  farm  on  the  south  lies 


pr  1  N A.M   eor  1  AC.1-: 

"he  lioiiu*    for   lu"  rly   a   c-entury  of  Hezckiali   aiul   .(()liii   .1. 
Tracy,    father   and    son 

territory  that  has  an   intei'esting'  Kevolutionai'v  his- 
toi-y. 

In  177.)  Isi'ael  Kna{jp  lived  in  what  is  now  known 
as  I'utnam  e[)ttao-e.  He  also  owned  many  acres  in 
the  nei<J"hl)orhoo(l  of  "(ireat  Ilill"  as  it  was  called  he- 
fore  Putnam's  exploit.  Dying-  without  a  will  his 
lajid  descended  to  his  widow  and  lieirs  who  subse- 
(juently  sold  it  to  Reuben  Holmes.  He  was  a  man 
of  charactei',  education  and  standing;  by  profession 
a  teacher,  bv  trade  a  shoemaker.      He  had  a  large 

[95] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREP:NWICn 

family  and  their  support  taxed  liis  abilities  to  the  ut- 
most. In  his  school  by  day,  he  sat  on  his  hencli  at 
night  and  was  not  satisfied  if  he  failed  to  finish  l^alf 
a  dozen  pair  of  shoes  weekly. 

But  finally  he  abandoned  the  struggle,  sold  his  real 
estate  August  16,  1828,  and  moved  to  wh.at  was  then 
the  far  west,  Geneva,  Cayuga  County,  Xew  York. 
Mrs.  Hannah  ^Nlead  })ouglit  th,e  property  consisting 
of  thirty-two  acres,  for  $3, .500.  She  was  the  widow 
of  Joshua  INIead  who  died  early  in  life  leaving  an 
only  child,  Solomon,  so  well  known  to  the  present 
generation.  This  parcel  of  land  extended  north  and 
included  land  now  owned  by  the  Parmelee  J.  ^NIcFad- 
den  estate. 

One  of  the  daughters  of  Israel  Knapp  was  Amy 
K.  Thompson,  wlio  appears  to  have  retained  an  in- 
terest in  her  father's  land  and  upon  her  decease  her 
four  children,  Harriet,  Cornelia.  James  and  Caroline, 
conveyed  it  to  Solomon  ^Mead's  motlier. 

Mr.  jNIead  always  spoke  of  his  motlier  with  great 
admiration  and  affection  and  all  her  transactions  indi- 
cate that  she  was  a  woman  of  unusual  ability.  She 
died  ^Nlarch  U,  1844.  at  the  age  of  79,  leaving  Solo- 
mon as  her  sole  heir  at  hiw. 

Solomon  JNIead  was  a  prominent  man  in.  Greenwich 
all  his  life  and  at  his  decease  June  14.  1898,  it  was 
found  that  he  was  wortli  more  than  any  otlier  native 
of  the  town  who  had  passed  liis  days  here. 

He  was  an  intelligent,  practical  and  painstaking 
man.     Wliile   his   mother   owned   tlie   little   farm   of 

[90] 


THE  TITL  S  MEAD   FAim 

thirty-one  acres,  wliicli  slie  never  eneiiniltei'ed,  lie 
made  many  imjn-ovements  upon  tlie  })i-operty.  The 
i)hn(l   (htches  h.e  hiid    I'oi-  (li-aina_L>e   pui"i)ose.s  still   re- 


IS()S-1S!)S 


main   to  attest  his  skillful,  seientitie  handling-  of  the 
l)j-opei"ty. 

Its  present  a])j)earanee.  due  to  change  in  fence 
lines.  o})ening  of  highways,  demolition  of  old  huihl- 
ings,  the  erection  of  new  ones,  and  the  ])hinting  of 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREEXWICH 

fruit  and  ornamental  trees — is  very  different  from 
its  appearance  eighty  years  ago. 

Long  before  my  remembrance  an  old  house  and  a 
barn  stood  near  the  highway  between  the  present 
Whittaker  and  jNIcFadden  places.  Not  many  years 
ago  I  found  the  old  well  near  the  present  line  of  high- 
way in  front  of  the  old  cellar  hole.  These  old  build- 
ings are  immortalized  in  Daniel  ^Nlerritt  Mead's  his- 
tory of  Greenwich,  pages  1.56,  157  and  158. 

After  the  tenancy  of  the  Holmes  family  in  tlie  Put- 
nam cottage  it  was  owned  and  occupied  by  Hezekiah 
and  John  Jay  Tracy,  father  and  son,  for  nearly  a 
century.  They  were  both  men  of  attainments  and 
they  each  occupied  the  office  of  Town  Clerk  for  many 
years.  John  Jay  was  secretary  of  the  Tammany  So- 
ciety in  Xew  York.  Tlie  public  records  kept  by 
tliese  men  are  models  of  j^enmanship  at  a  time  wlien  a 
quill  pen  only  was  used. 

For  many  years  the  street  running  near  tlie  Put- 
nam cottage  through  lanxl  of  A.  Foster  Higgins  was 
ap2)ropriately  called  Tracy  Street.  Its  present  name 
of  Park  Avenue  lias  no  particular  significance. 

Prior  to  1858  Solomon  JNIead  lived  in  an  old  fash- 
ioned sweep-back,  standing  just  inside  the  gateway 
leadiu"-  to  the  stone  mansion  erected  bv  him  in  1854- 
1858.  The  house  is  known  as  Xo.  48  JNIaple  Avenue 
and  has  recently  been  occupied  by  tb.e  family  of 
William  Cooney.  After  the  completion  of  the  new 
residence,  in  1859,  the  old  one  was  removed.  It  was 
a  prototv])e  of  the  old  Jared  INIead  house,  described 

[98] 


THE  TITUS  .MEAD  FxVUM 

ill  Chapter  XIV.  Under  its  front  windows  were 
bundles  of  phlox  and  some  marigolds  were  nodding 
in  the  suiiinier  breeze  when  I  first  saw  it.  It  had  a 
eoiiifortable  "sit  down"  appearance,  characteristic  of 
all  the  old  gray  shingle,  low  studded  sweep-backs  of 
the  eighteenth  century.  Xear  its  north  end  was  the 
well  house  in  which  an  empty  bucket  hiing  over 
the  curb.  It  was  overshadowed  by  the  great  stone 
house  which  was  then  completed,  and  it  was  only  a 
short  time  afterward  that  it  disappeared  and  the  old 
cellar  hole  was  filled. 

Mr.  Mead  began  to  build  the  present  stone  house 
in  18.54  and  completed  it  in  1858.  The  method  of 
thorough  construction  adopted  by  its  owner  attracted 
wide  attention.  The  walls  were  hollow  to  prevent 
dampness  and  the  stones  were  laid  up  in  shell  lime. 

jNIr.  ^lead  has  often  told  me  that  in  those  days, 
from  his  front  piazza,  he  enjoyed  an  unobstructed 
view  of  Long  Island  Sound  as  far  east  as  the  Xor- 
walk  Islands.  But  in  late  years  the  shade  trees 
growing  tall  and  rank  have  destroyed  much  of  the 
summer  view. 


[W] 


CHAPTER  X 

THE    SECOND    CONGKEGATIOXAE    CHUKCH 

OX  Xovember  9.  191().  will  occur  the  two  hun- 
dredth anniversary  of  the  establishment  of  the 
Second  Congregational  Churcl].  The  one  hundred 
and  fiftieth  anniversary  was  held  in  1806  and  was 
one  of  the  most  important  that  ever  occurred  in 
Greenwich.  A  similar  occasion  in  these  days  would 
cause  less  interest  outside  the  church  membership, 
because  the  population  is  larger,  more  varied  in  re- 
ligious faith,  and  perliaps  more  secular  in  disposition. 
Eut  the  celebration  in  18()()  was  largely  attended  and 
created  among  the  members  of  all  religious  sects  a 
general  interest. 

The  present  stone  church,  a  creation  of  Leopold 
Kidlitz,  one  of  the  most  famous  church  architects  of 
the  Xineteenth  century,  arouses  the  admiration  of 
every  resident  of  Greenwicli,  whatever  his  creed  or 
nationality. 

It  was  built  in  18.5()  under  somewhat  peculiar  cir- 
cumstances. Its  predecessors  had  been  compara- 
tively cheap,  wooden  affairs  and  when  the  building 
of  a  new  church  was  agitated  Mr.  Robert  ^Villiams 
jNIead  led  the  minority  in  advocating  the  construction 

[TOO] 


SECOND  c()\(;rkc;ati()\al  crirKCii 

of  the  present  biiil(lin<>-.  Xot  only  plans  liiit  a  per- 
fect model  ill  p'lastei-  were  shown.  (lis})hiyin<^-  tlie 
splendid  ])roporti()ns  and  lines  of  the  ))roposed 
church. 


-*      ■<•< 


HOBKKT  W.  MKAI) 

1S14  1S7.-, 


The  ])roposition  was  strongly  opposed  on  the 
oromid  of  expense,  hut  finally  when  Mr.  Mead  de- 
clared it  could  he  huilt  for  thirty  thousand  dollars 
someone  at  the  church  meeting  expressed  a  doulit  as 
to  his  ability  to  find  a  contractor  to  undertake  the 
work  at  that  price.      It  is  not  unlikely  that  Mr.  Mead 

[101] 


OTHER  DAYS  IN  GREEXWICH 

realized  this,  for  he  promptly  rexjlied  that  he  would 
take  the  contract  himself. 

He  was  not  a  contractor  and  never  had  been  one, 
but  he  built  the  church  and  when  the  thirty  thousand 
dollar  appropriation  was  exhausted  he  sold  his  own 
securities  to  continue  and  complete  the  building. 

His  monument  stands  near  the  church  and  bears 
the  same  inscription  that  is  cut  in  the  tomb  of  Sir 
Christopher  Wren  in  St.  Pauls,  London,  ''Si  monu- 
mentum  qiiarae  circum spice" — "If  you  would  see  his 
monument  look  about." 

I  fear  that  Robert  Williams  JNIead  never  received 
half  the  credit  that  should  have  been  his  for  building 
the  handsomest  church  spire  in  New  En.gland, 

He  was  a  son  of  Dr.  Darius  JNIead,  whose  home 
was  on  the  crest  of  Putnam  Hill.  He  had  made  a 
fortune  in  mercantile  pursuits  in  New  York  City. 
^Vhen  he  built  the  church  he  resided  in  the  house  now 
owned  and  occupied  by  his  nephew,  Frederick  INIead. 
On  April  11,  1864,  he  sold  this  property  to  D.  Jack- 
son Steward,  who  held  it  till  April  15,  1868.  when  he 
sold  it  to  Edward  Slosson,  a  retired  New  York 
lawyer.  ]Mrs.  Annie  Turnbull  Slosson,  his  widow, 
a  well-known  writer,  now  resides  in  New  York. 
After  the  death  of  ]Mr.  Slosson,  by  a  deed  dated  ]May 
28,  1872,  the  property  went  to  Frederick  JNIead,  the 
father  of  its  present  owner. 

The  interior  of  the  church  was  remodeled  in  1900, 
at  an  expense  of  about  tliirty  thousand  dolhirs. 
Those  who  had  tlie  matter  in  liand  probably  acted 

[102] 


,'M)    COXCKI'.CA  riON  Al.    (,  illKC  11     1\     ls7() 
(  No   clock   .-it    tli;it    time) 
Past()r^:    Hcv.     Dr.    Joel     H.     I.iiislev.     Rev.     Dr.     l-rcdcrick    C.    Cl.irl 
Hex.    Dr.   (lei)i-ae    A.   Ciordoii 


SECOND  COXGREGATIOXAT.  CHURCH 

for  tlie  best  interests  of  tlic  c'liiiix'li.      HoweM'i-.  siicli 
a  radical  cliaii<>e  was  a  ^Teat  (lisappointiiR-iit  to  inc. 

There  is  one  incident  in  connection  with  the  hnild- 
in<>-  of  this  cliurch  tliat  shonhl  not  be  omitted.  Wdien 
it  was  fnlly  com])leted  with  the  outside  scaff'ohh'n.o- 
still  surroundino-  the  spire  sevei'al  ladies,  nicnihers 
of  tlie  cliui-ch.  ch'nil)e(l  on  o{)en  ladders,  from  scaf- 
fold to  scatt'old,  till  they  reached  the  circular  cap 
stone,  ei<4'ht  feet  in  (hameter,  around  which  they  sat 
and  ate  their  supper,  undisturbed  by  the  fact  that 
they  were  two  liundred  and  twelve  feet  above  the 
ground.  Mrs.  Julia  A.  Button,  ^liss  Clarissa  Mead 
and  jNIrs.  Edward  Mead  were  amony-  the  number. 

But  to  recur  to  tlie  celel)ration  of  IHiW).  It  comes 
back  to  me  like  an  occurrence  of  yesterday.  Per- 
l]a]Js  its  most  remarkable  feature  was  the  historical 
address  by  Rev.  Joel  H.  Einsley,  D.D.,  which  was 
his  last  public  eff'ort.  He  had  been  tlie  pastor  of  the 
chan-ch  for  nineteen  years  and  was  then  the  honorary 
but  retired  pastor.  His  address,  finished  and  schol- 
arly, was  replete  with  matters  of  local  history  and 
startlin.g  in  its  pro})hetic  portrayal  of  the  speaker's 
vision  of  the  future,  in  these  words. 

"This  town  will  not  for  many  years,  if  ever,  l)e  a 
])lace  distinguished  for  business  or  I'apid  achance  in 
population.  On  this  very  account  it  is  all  the  better 
for  a  place  of  quiet  homes,  and  as  a  seat  for  the  best 
educational  institutions." 

The  committee  of  arrangements  consisted  of  Dea- 
con  Philander  Button,  Deacon  .Jonas  Mead,  Dr.  T. 

[10.5] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 

S.  Pinnen,  William  A.  Howe  and  Edward  P.  Holly. 
They  were  appointed  at  a  meeting  of  the  church  held 
in  3Iarch,  1866. 

During  the  summer  the  work  of  arranging  details 
became  so  onerous  that  the  committee  was  enlarged 
by  adding  the  following  men :  Isaac  L.  Mead,  Alex- 
ander ^Nlead,  Zophar  JVIead,  Shadrach  M.  Brush,  Ben- 
jamin Wright,  Arthur  D.  JNIead,  George  H.  INI  ills, 
Gideon  Reynolds  and  the  following  ladies:  ]Mrs.  Ed- 
ward ]Mead,  ^Irs.  Philander  Button,  INIrs.  T.  S. 
Pinneo,  jNIrs.  Joseph  Brush,  Mrs.  Augustus  X. 
Reynolds,  ^Irs.  Benjamin  Wright,  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
S.  Hoyt,  Mrs.  Stephen  Holly,  ^Mrs.  Moses  Cristy, 
]Mrs.  X^ehemiah  Howe,  Mrs.  Daniel  ^lerritt  JNIead, 
Mrs.  Charles  H.  Seaman,  JVIrs.  William  B.  Sher- 
wood, JNIrs.  Thomas  Ritch,  JNIrs.  Lockwood  P.  Clark, 
Mrs.  Caleb  Holmes,  JNIrs.  Alfred  Bell,  Mrs.  Isaac 
Peck,  JNIrs.  Jabez  Mead,  Mrs.  Stephen  G.  White, 
Mrs.  Henry  M.  Bailey,  Mrs.  William  T.  Reynolds, 
JNIrs.  Lewis  A.  JNIerritt,  JNIiss  Hannah  JNI.  I\Iead,  JNIiss 
Eliza  J.  Scofield,  Mrs.  Joseph  E.  Russell,  Miss 
Louisa  Mead. 

As  I  write  these  names  their  owners'  faces  all  come 
back  to  me.  Of  the  committee  of  men  four  siu'vive 
and  but  one  of  the  committee  of  women  is  liv- 
ing. 

The  day  was  one  of  the  finest  of  the  season.  It 
was  one  of  those  glorious  autumn  days  for  which 
Greenwich  has  always  been  so  famous  and  when 
doubt  often  arises  wliether  there  is  more  beauty  in 

[106] 


SECOND  COXGREGATIOXAL  CHURCH 

the  blue  waters  of  the  Sound  or  in  the  wealth  of  forest 
trees,  flaming-  with  scarlet  and  orange. 

The  church  was  decorated  with  festoons  and 
w^eatlis  of  evergreen,  tastefully  interwoven  with  au- 
tumn flowers.  Upon  the  wall  over  the  speakers' 
platform,  in  the  rear  of  where  the  organ  now  stands 
was  the  following  inscription: 

IX    THE    PLACE   OF    THE    FATHERS    ARE   THE    CHILDREN 

1710 

OUR   father's   god    is   OUR    (iOD 

The  printed  programme,  a  copy  of  which  lies  be- 
fore me,  announced  the  following  order  of  exercises. 

1.  Invocation  rev.  platt  t.  holly 

2.  Reading  the  Scriptures       rev.  f.  g.  clark.  d.d. 

3.  Anthem — "O,  How  Lovely  is  Zion." 

4.  Prai/er  rev.  joel  manx 

5.  Historical  Discourse        rev.  j.  h.  lixsley,  d.d. 

6.  Prai/er  rev.  samuel  howe 

7.  Anthem — "Praise  Ye  the  Lord." 

8.  Benediction  rev.  stephex  hurbeli, 

Recess  For  Collatiox 
p.  ^L 

9.  Anthem. 

10.  Welcoming  Address        rev.  w.  u.  h.  .murray 

11.  Historical  Paper  willlvm  a.  howe 

12.  uinthem 

1.3.  Historji  Stillson  Benevolent  Socict// 

DH.  T.  S.  PIXXEO 

Would  it  be  ])ossible  in  tliis  generation  to  liohl  an 
audience  on  sucli  an  occasion  all  day  long? 

[107] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 

The  historical  address,  as  I  liave  stated,  was  the 
crowning  effort  of  Dr.  Linsley's  busy  life.  He  died 
March  22.  1808.  It  may  not  be  amiss  to  quote  here 
the  peroration  of  that  discourse. 

"This  is,  my  hearers,  of  all  tlie  days  since  Feaks 
and  Patrick  cut  tlie  waves  of  the  Sound  with  their 
lioht  boat,  fastened  her  to  Elizal)eth  Neck,  and  by 
peaceful  purchase  took  possession  of  these  fair  fields 
for  civilized  man,  the  best  and  brightest,  the  one  in 
which  it  is  the  greatest  privilege  to  live. 

"That  our  children  and  children's  cliildren  are  to 
see  a  still  brighter  one,  1  hope,  nay,  I  believe. 

"And  when  we  scatter  at  tlie  close  of  this  auspicious 
occasion  from  this  beloved  liill  of  Zion,  let  us  retire 
with  gratitude  for  wliat  our  fathers  bequeatlied  to 
us  from  the  past;  witli  rejoicing  in  the  present,  tliat 
the  lines  have  fallen  to  us  in  pleasan,t  places,  and  with 
full  pui-pose  of  heart,  that,  God  helping  us,  we  will 
transmit  a  still  richer  inheritance  to  those  who  shall 
come  after  us,  even  to  the  latest  generations." 

The  afternoon  session  opened  with  an  address  of 
welcome  by  Rev.  W.  H.  H.  ^lurray  which  seemed 
to  be  particularly  directed  to  the  ministers  present 
who  had  formerly  been  pastors  of  the  church. 

JNIr.  ^Murray  was  at  tliat  time  a  young  man  of 
twenty-six  years  and  acting  pastor  of  the  church. 
To  most  of  the  guests  he  w^as  unknown,  but  the  ad- 
dress of  welcome  thrilled  every  soul  and  left  such  an 
impression  that  tlie  memory  of  Murray  was  never 
dimmed. 

[108] 


SECOND  COXGREGATIOXAI.  CIIl  KCH 

I  recall  (listiiR-tiy.  how  in  tin.'  midst  ol'  liis  adilrtss, 
he  ran  his  finders  throuoh  his  thick,  raven  locks  and, 
turning  his  massive  figure  towards  Kev.  Joel  JNIann, 
the  oldest  ex-pastor,  said:  "15nt  more  especially  do 
we  rejoice  that  you,  tlie  most  aged  of  this  group, 
whose  sun,  though  glowing  and  hright,  is  near  the 
border  of  the  horizon,  should  once  more  he  with  us, 
to  behold  and  be  made  happy  at  the  sight  of  our 
prosperity,  before  the  shadows  deepen  farther,  and 
you,  passing  through  them,  be  lost  to  our  eyes. 

"It  is  well,  too,  that  those  of  us  in  this  congregation 
whose  heads,  in  the  passage  of  years,  have  whitened 
with  yours,  should  see  once  more  the  familiar  faces, 
the  countenances  of  former  and  still  beloved  pastors, 
before  that  hand,  which,  smites  the  cloud  for  all, 
smites  it  asunder  for  us,  and  our  eyes  close  on  ter- 
restrial objects  forever." 

I  think  the  most  touching  incident  of  the  day  oc- 
curred at  its  close,  when  ^Ir.  ^Murray  rose  and  said: 
"There  is  one  man,  my  good  friends,  who  did  you  a 
service  to-day  which  we  cannot  too  highly  appreciate. 
The  graves  have  been  alluded  to,  and  it  is  well  they 
should  be:  but  before  we  go  out  let  us  remember  the 
cradles.  There  are  ears  too  young  to  hear  our  s])eech 
to-night,  and  eyes  not  yet  instructed  in  vision,  so  that 
tliey  may  read  the  motto  above  our  heads;  and  \hvve 
is  one  man  sitting  here  before  you  who  has  done  a 
service  for  this  class  that  I  can  not  overrate.  A  hand 
has  been  reached  into  the  past;  into  the  dark  past  of 
tradition,  and  out  of  it  fetched  something'  more  valu- 

[109] 


^& 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREEXWICH 

able  than  gold;  and  it  is  more  pleasant  for  me  to 
think  of  it,  because  that  hand  is  aged,  and  whether  it 
reaches  backward  or  forward,  it  will  reach  not  many 
years  again.  The  man  who  has  done  you  a  service 
you  can  never  repay  is  Rev.  Dr.  Linsley.  We 
cannot  consent  to  separate  until  this  aged  man, 
who  has  long  been  your  teacher,  and  who  has  done 
you  such  service,  shall  have  received  a  public  expres- 
sion of  your  respect  by  this  audience  rising  in  his 
honor." 

I  shall  never  forget  the  thrill  that  went  through 
that  great  audience,  as  rising  to  their  feet,  INIr.  ]Mur- 
ray  said:  "Receive,  my  aged  friend,  this  mark  of  a 
])eoples'  respect.  The  thanks  of  men  are  common, 
])ut  the  thanks  of  the  multitude  are  few."  For  more 
than  forty-six  years  have  I  carried  in  my  memory 
the  burning  incidents  of  that  day.  Xo  one  present 
has  lived  to  forget  and  again  and  again  has  the  story 
been  told  to  the  new  generation,  those  who  now 
stand  in  tlie  place  of  the  fathers. 

I  cannot  conclude  this  chapter  without  referring 
to  George  A.  Gordon,  D.D.,  pastor  of  the  old  South 
Church,  Boston.  He  came  to  Greenwich,  as  the  pas- 
tor of  the  Second  Congregational  Church,  when  he 
was  on  the  sunny  side  of  thirty. 

He  was  l]orn  in  Scotland.  He  has  often  told  of 
his  first  jol)  in  America,  when  as  a  greenhorn  he 
hired  out  to  a  blacksmith,  who  never  paid  him.  After 
that  he  took  care  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Angier's  furnace 
in  Cambridge  who  saw  that  tlie  boy  had  brains  and 

[no] 


SECOND  COXGREGATIOXAL  CHURCH 

educated  him.  This  same  ^Ir.  Aiio'ier  afterwards 
supplied  tile  ])ulj)it  of  the  Second  Congregational 
Church  to  which  Mr.  (iordon  was  sul)sc(iuently 
called. 

Before  these  two  men  met  Mr.  Gordon  had  hut  one 
given  name — George,  but  afterwards  Angier  was  in- 
serted as  the  middle  name. 

^Ir.  Angier  preaching  at  (Treenwich  suggested 
young  (Gordon  for  the  ])ast()i'ate  and  he  accepted  al- 
though (]ualified  for  a  larger  field.  To  a  man  of  his 
ability  and  resources  the  Greenwich  church  was  as 
restricted  and  confining  as  a  flying  cage  to  a  skylark. 

And  yet  when  the  summons  came  from  the  old 
South  Churcii  he  hesitated.  He  loved  (xreenwich 
and  his  people  and  they  loved  him.  The  town  was 
more  rural  thirty  years  ago  and  he  loved  the  country. 
Round  Island,  Field  Point  and  all  the  territory  near 
were  0})en  to  his  saunterings.  His  ])arishioners  be- 
souo'ht  him  not  to  leave  and  for  two  years  he  heeded 
them  and  refused  to  go. 

On  the  2.'Jd  of  October,  1912,  he  came  back  to 
(Greenwich  to  take  ])art  in  his  old  church  in  the  in- 
stallation of  Rev.  Charles  F.  Taylor.  He  was  the 
same  Gordon,  refined  and  matured.  He  s])oke  feel- 
ingly of  the  other  days  but  nothing  he  said  had  more 
pathos  and  love  in  it  than  his  allusion  to  a  I'oll  of  ])a- 
per  among  his  revered  treasures.  Tied  with  a  blue 
ribbon,  the  ])a])er  once  white,  but  now  vellow  with 
time,  contained  six  hundred  and  fifty  signa- 
tures of  those  who  thus  asked  him  to  remain  their 

[111] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 

pastor.  Some  were  children,  now  active  men  and 
women  and  many  were  old  men  who  have  gone  to  the 
hereafter.  And  then  tin-ning  to  the  new  pastor  he 
said:  "There  is  the  same  fountain  of  loyalty  and  love 
here  as  there  was  thirty  years  ago." 

There  have  been  four  Congregational  churches  in 
the  village,  all  occupying  nearly  the  same  location. 
Of  the  first  house  of  worship,  in  wdiich  the  Rev.  ]Mr. 
Morgan  preached,  little  is  known,  except  that  it  was 
32x26  and  like  the  one  in  "Old  Town"  (now  Sound 
Beach). 

The  second  was  erected  in  1730  and  was  a  plain 
barn-like  structure,  50x35,  surmounted  by  a  tower 
which  was  taken  down  in  17-49.  There  was  a  door  at 
each  end  and  one  in  the  side.  Twenty  square  pews 
were  located  about  the  sides  of  the  house  and  there 
were  five  in  the  south  gallery. 

This  structure  gave  way  to  the  third  house  in  1798. 
It  was  in  this  building  that  stoves  were  introduced 
in  1818,  in  the  face  of  great  opposition.  On  the  first 
Sunday  of  their  appearance  the  congregation  was 
almost  overcome  by  the  heat,  but  it  was  learned  after 
the  service  that  the  stoves  contained  no  fires  and  that 
the  intense  heat  was  but  the  force  of  imagination. 

When  the  foundation  for  the  present  building  was 
laid,  it  became  necessary  to  move  the  old  church  about 
one  hundred  feet  south.  Here  it  was  continued  in 
use  till  December  5,  1858,  when  Rev.  Dr.  Linsley  de- 
livered in  it  the  last  sermon,  which  was  in  the  form  of 
a  commemorative  discourse. 

[112] 


!  1  li'5  f  ?  ^S' 


^^•. 


if  :i  iff  ^  I  p 


:-^ai^^ 


KAIil,^'    ClllltCII     lU   II.DINC.S 
Inscrt-Hcv.    .locl    Mnnii 


SKcoM)  c()\(;rkgati()xal  church 

The  following-  year  the  huildiiio-  was  sold  to 
Thomas  A.  ^Nlead  and  Amos  M.  Brush,  who  subse- 
quently moved  it  to  the  eorner  of  Putnam  Avenue 
and  Sherwood  Plaee,  then  JNIechanic  Street. 

Rut  before  mo^  ing  it.  the  steeple  was  eut  down. 
The  eolumns  at  the  belfi'v  were  first  sawed  nearly  oft'. 
Stephen  Silliek  and  Henry  Waring  Howard,  then 
apprentiees  to  Ste])hen  Sherwood,  doing  the  work. 
A  long  ro])e  h.ad  tirst  lieen  attaehed  to  the  top  of 
the  spire  and  eari'ied  down  beyond  the  Town  Honse 
and  tied  to  an  ox  eart  belonging  to  Jose])h  Hrush. 
^Ir.  Rrush  drove  a  sturdy  pair  of  eattle,  that  he 
claimed  were  ecpial  to  pulling  the  moon,  if  he  could 
get  a  line  to  it.  Everything  being  made  fast  the 
cattle  were  started.  The  line  grew  taut;  the  steeple 
bent,  then  vibrated  under  the  increased  tension,  while 
the  ox  cart  went  up  in  the  air,  and  falling  back  to 
its  place  the  steeple  snapped  cart  and  oxen  more 
than  fifty  feet  up  the  road  and  landed  them  in  one 
promiscuous  heaj).  The  stee])le  was  finally  con- 
quered })y  loading  the  cai't  with  heavy  stones. 

This  l)uilding,  after  its  removal,  has  l)een  s])oken  of 
in  Chapter  II.  Here  Dr.  Sylvester  ^lead  first  a])- 
peared  as  the  successor  of  Dr.  Aiken  in  the  drug  busi- 
ness, and  (xeorge  K.  Scofield  began  to  learn  the  art 
of  prescription  filling. 

On  the  afternoon  of  July  .'J,  lS(>r>.  a  small  boy 
thoughtlessly  tossed  a  lighted  fire  cracker  u])on  the 
roof  of  the  old  chureh  and  at  sun-set  it  was  a  smoking 
ruin. 

[115] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 

But  the  present  chiircli  building  every  one  knows. 
Of  I^eojjold  Eidlitz.  an  architect  of  fame,  it  has  been 
said  that  of  all  his  successful  designs,  none  is  more 
graceful  than  that  beautiful  spire.     Where  can  you 


.^TL ^ 

^'  A  ^  -fMHflMMM^ 

ROCKEFELi.EK    lAKk    IN    isiid 

The  large  elm  at  the  left  now  sliades  the  home  of  Charles 

A.  Taylor  on   Connecticut   Avenue 

drive  in  Greenwich  and  lose  sight  of  it^  You  see  it 
as  you  ascend  every  hill.  The  gleam  of  its  weather 
vane  reaches  every  valley.  Between  the  delicate 
lines  of  its  open  columns  the  setting  sun  will  often 
pierce  till  it  looks  as  though  it  were  a  part  of  the 
azure  blue,  without  a  foundation  upon  earth,  resting 
in  the  clouds. 


["(•.] 


CHAPTER  XI 

THE  STOKY  OF  A  STREET GREENWICH   A^T.XUE 

EIGHTY  years  ago,  the  road  to  Piping-  Point, 
was  eighteen  feet  wide,  dusty  in  summer  and 
muddy  in  winter  and  yet  it  was  a  much,  traveled  wav. 
Did  it  not  lead  all  Stanwich  and  Banksville  to  the 
liome  of  tlie  liumble  clam,  and  what  Round  Hill  man 
has  not  traveled  it  in  search  of  the  hardy  black  fish? 

How  many  hundred  thousand  bushels  of  potatoes 
have  l)een  hauled  over  it  to  find  their  way  from 
Daniel  ^Nlerritt's  dock  to  the  city  of  New  York? 
When  the  crop  was  ready  for  the  diggers  the  farmers 
often  worked  all  night  under  a  bright  October  moon 
and  in  the  early  morning  tlieir  teams  waited  their 
turn  to  unload  at  the  dock. 

What  is  now  Arch  Street  was  then  the  only  con- 
tinuation of  our  ])resent  Greenwich  Avenue. 

Beyond  was  the  farm  of  Daniel  S.  jNIead.  the 
grandfather  of  Oliver  D.  Mead  and  south  of  the 
present  railway  line,  on  Rocky  Xeck,  was  a  forest  of 
great  trees,  beneath  which  the  underbrush  gi'cw  i"ank 
and  tangled. 

The  road  to  Piping  Point,  as  the  old  records  term 
it,  deflected  to  the  southwest  from  a  ])oint  near  the 
])resent  Police  Headcpiarters.  Xo.  '270  (Greenwich 
Avenue,   and  ran   over  the  to])   of   a   knoll    tiiat   oc- 

[HT] 


OTHER  DAYS  IN  GREENWICH 

ciipied  what  is  now  tlie  front  lawn  of  the  Havemeyer 
school. 

On  the  crest  of  this  knoll,  at  least  twenty  feet  high, 
stood,  within  my  recollection,  a  snug  little  cottage. 
Near  the  front  door  on  the  south  side  of  the  house  a 
long  well  sweep  pointed  to  the  north  star  and  the  wa- 
ter that  came  up  in  the  oaken  liucket  was  cool  and 
sweet.  How  many  teamsters  have  stopped  for  the 
cooling  draught  and  to  gossip  a  moment,  with  the 
little  old  lady  who  lived  there!  Not  a  house  then 
save  one  from  that  hill  to  the  head  of  the  creek  and 
no  trees  to  shade  the  cultivated  fields.  Can  you 
imagine  the  view  the  little  house  had  from  its  vine 
emhowered  porch  { 

Further  north  on  the  east  side  of  this  same  way 
was  a  never  failing  spring  much  thought  of  hy  those 
same  teamsters.  It  huhhled  up  at  the  top  of  a  knoll 
on  the  spot  where  now  stands  the  Prescott  huilding  at 
105  Greenwich  Avenue,  and  when  that  ])uilding  was 
erected  in  1891  the  spring  was  uncovered  and  at  con- 
siderable expense  turned  into  the  sewer.  It  had 
been  covered  up  many  years  before,  when  Dr.  I^ewis 
owned  the  farm  and  it  was  sorely  missed.  It  had 
come  to  be  considered  common  property  and  the  foot 
path  that  led  to  it  was  worn  deep  by  the  passage  of 
many  feet.  It  was  a  cozy  nook,  too,  for  the  bushes 
grew  high  above  it  and  kept  the  sun  from  its  lim])id 
waters.  To  what  degradation  has  it  fallen  that  it 
should  be  buried  beneath  a  brick  building  and  emp- 
tied into  a  sewer! 

[118] 


THE  STORY  OF  A  STREET 

But  as  early  as  18o4  the  road  liad  lost  imieli  of  its 
rural  aspeet.  The  railroad,  then  in  operation  five 
years,   had   hrounht   the  town   nearer  to   New    Vork. 


IIFARV    .M.    BENEDICT 
rrt'sidfiit      (iold      I'",xc'hange      Bniik,    X.    Y. 
Warden,    IJoroiigh   of  Greenwicli 
IS.'l-lStXi 

Outsiders  had  (liseo^■ered  the  natural  l)eauties  of  the 
place  and  had  hei^jun  to  settle  here. 

Among  those  who  eauie  ahout  IS.jO  was  Henry  M. 
Benedict,    a    man    of    oreat    ahilitv.    of    magnificent 

[110] 


OTHER  DAYS  IN  GREENWICH 

figure  and  large  wealth.  He  resided  on  Putnam 
Avenue  till  1873,  when  he  removed  to  Brooklyn. 
He  died  in  1896  at  Sunset  Park,  N.  Y. 

]Mr.  Benedict  did  not  like  the  road  to  the  depot 
and  he  set  about  to  have  it  widened.  Application 
was  made  to  the  selectmen  Init  there  was  a  general 
opposition,  to  the  scheme.  Eighteen  feet  was  deemed 
quite  wide  enough,  because  it  had  answered  the  pur- 
pose for  generations.  The  selectmen  perhaps  were 
of  the  same  opinion,  for  nothing  was  done.  ^Nlr. 
Benedict  then  employed  Julius  B.  Curtis,  a  young 
lawj^er  of  Greenwich,  subsequently  located  until  his 
death  in  Stamford.  He  brought  an  action  to  the 
Count}"  Court,  then  having  jurisdiction,  and  after 
some  time  accomplished  his  purpose  and  opened  the 
road,  which  then  received  the  name  of  Greenwich 
Avenue. 

With  the  widen.ing  of  the  street  real  estate  began 
to  look  up.  It  Avas  considered  a  side  street,  Putnam 
Avenue,  then  called  ]Main  Street,  claiming  all  the  pre- 
tensions of  a  business  thoroughfare.  As  a  residence 
street  Greenwich  Avenue  was  considered  attractive. 
Any  part  of  it  commanded  a  fine  Sound  view  and 
there  was  no  obstruction  to  the  refreshing  southwest 
breeze. 

Edwin  JNIead,  a  brother  of  Daniel  S.  ^Nlead,  now 
residing  in  California,  at  the  age  of  ninety-three,  came 
into  possession,  by  inheritance,  of  a  number  of  acres 
north  of  Elm  Street.  He  had  liis  land  surveyed 
and   divided   into   three-quarter-acre   plots,   offering 

[120] 


THE  STORY  OF  A  STREET 

them  at  six  hundred  dollars  eaeh.  In  those  days 
such  a  plot  was  considered  very  small  and  the  price 
asked  quite  extravagant. 

William  31.  Tiers  hought  the  corner  lot,  where 
afterwards,  for  so  many 
years  resided  Dr.  T. 
S.  Pinneo.  Isaac  Weed 
])ouoht  the  plot  now  occu- 
pied hy  the  Hhrary  and 
Shath-ach  M.  Brush  se- 
cured the  plot  still  owned 
hy  his  sons,  S.  Augustus 
and  Henry  L.  Brush. 
Most  of  these  sales  were 
made  in  the  spring  and 
summer  of  1S55.  I  have 
avenue  in  Chapter  II,  and 
told  something  of  this 
there  is  very  little  left  to  say  concerning  its  progress 
except  ^yh'd{  is  known  to  this  generation,  and  that  is 
not  the  province  of  this  volume. 

The  old  town  building,  now  occupied  by  flayer  H. 
Cohen,  is  still  the  property  of  the  town.  Its  story  is 
told  in  Chapter  XX. 

From  the  head  of  the  avenue  was  once  a  steep  hill; 
rustic  old  stone  walls  were  on  portions  of  either  side 
and  young  men  and  boys  found  it  a  convenient  place 
to  coast  in  winter,  as  late  as  thirty  years  ago. 

Hanford  Mead  had  a  tannery  where  Benjamin 
Lockwood's  restaurant  is  loeated  and  later,  on  Sep- 

[121] 


SHADRACH    M.    BRUSH 

1818-19f« 
In   early  days  did  a  large  business 
at     Miamis.     Subsequently     con- 
ducted luuil)er  business  at  Rocky 
Neck. 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREEXWICH 

tember  4,  18.54,  Henry  Held  opened  a  market  in  a 
huildint)-  he  had  erected  near  the  tan  vats.  He  was 
then  tile  owner  of  all  the  land  on  the  west  side  of  the 
avenue  from  Peter  Acker's  to  Capt.  Eyon's,  where 
the  Trust  Company's  building  is  located. 

A  Port  Chester  newspaper  came  out  with  the  an- 
nouncement that  ^Ir.  Held  was  about  to  build  "a 
new,  elegant,  imposing  and  commodious  market 
building."  This  was  an  innovation  that  was  un- 
looked  for  and  besides  it  was  the  beginning  of  a  "side 
street"  and  a  street,  too,  that  did  not  possess  popular 
favor.  When  the  newspaper  later  came  out  witli  a 
description  of  the  building  "to  be  filled  with  brick 
and  surmounted  by  a  balloon  frame,"  it  was  the  ffen- 
eral  opinion  about  the  village  that  anything  in  the 
nature  of  a  balloon,  was  decidedly  unstable,  was  likely 
to  be  disastrously  affected  by  air  currents,  and  on 
a  windy  day  would  be  a  menace  to  those  who  hap- 
pened along  that  way. 

In  Peter  Acker's  store  the  subject  of  the  balloon 
frame  was  discussed  night  after  night  and  many  a 
hot  word  was  passed  over  the  subject.  Xo  one  dis- 
puted the  undesirableness  of  such  a  structure — it 
was  not  that:  they  were  all  opposed  to  the  bal- 
loon frame,  and  they  couldn't  agree  as  to  how  such 
a  thing  could  ])e  framed.  Solomon  S.  Gansey 
said  he  believed  they  had  been  used  some  in  other 
parts — -"in  mild  climates  where  the  wind  blew  easy" — 
but  they  had  generally  been  set  up  where  they  were 
protected    bv    forest    trees.      He    thought    he    could 

[122] 


THE  STOKY  OF  A   STREET 


frame  one,  and  he  Iiad  a  theory  of  constriietion  wliieh 
most  of  the  others  failed  to  favor  and  hence  tlie  heated 
argument  over  IlehTs  balloon  frame. 

15iit  the  building-  went  up,  and  as  the  first  building 
in  town  to  be  framed  after  the  balloon  method,  it  at- 
tracted wide  local  attention.  For  those  days  it  was 
really  fine.  Inside,  the 
marble  top  counters, 
against  the  wall,  meat 
hooks  of  the  latest  device, 
the  ])ictures  of  fat  cattle 
and  the  polished  horns 
that  stood  out  from  the 
wall,  with  streaming  red 
and  blue  ribbons  at  their 
tips,  made  an  impressive 
ap])earance.  JNIr.  Held 
was  po])ular  with  all  his 
customers.  Xo  more  honest  or  conscientious  man  ever 
lived.  He  had  many  opportunities  to  invest  in  Wall 
Street  and  to  buy  Cxreenwich  real  estate,  but  he 
availed  himself  of  \V-d\\  Street  opportunities  not  at  all 
and  his  local  real  estate  holdings  were  never  large. 

One  morning  C'apt.  Wm.  Ij.  Lyon,  who  then 
owned  the  A^oorhis  property,  tried  to  sell  him  all  the 
land  south  of  the  market,  now  Xo.  7-t  Cxreenwich  Ave- 
nue to  where  the  (Greenwich  drug  store  stands,  for 
eleven  hundred  dollars  "and  trade  it  out  in  meat." 

It  is  not  sui"])rising  that  jNIr.  Held  ])r<)mptly  de- 
clined to  pay  what  was  then  a  large  ])i"ice  foi"  land  he 
did  not  re(]uii'e. 

[1-2.3] 


CAPT.  W.  L.  LYOX 

1808-1858 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 

The  old  man  was  faithful  to  his  market  patrons 
for  many  years  and  at  last  one  afternoon  down  at 
Indian  Harbor,  his  life  went  out  with  the  ebbing  tide 
that  flowed  under  his  window,  a  man  honored  and 
respected  by  all  who  knew  him. 


[124] 


CHAPTEK  XII 

WAR    TniES 

DriilXC;  tlie  last  (lays  of  President  Buclianairs 
administration,  and  up  to  the  time  that  Fort 
Sumter  was  fired  on,  politics  in  (Treenwich  were  so 
warm  that  they  sometimes  hecame  bitter. 

The  South  had  many  sympathizers,  called  Cop- 
perbxads,  while  those  who  favored  the  abolition  of 
slavery,  at  whatever  cost,  were  called  Black  Kepubli- 
cans.  From  this  it  must  not  l)e  inferred  that  no  mem- 
ber of  the  Democratic  pai'ty  favored  the  abolition  of 
slavery,  for  thei'e  wei'c  many  among  them  known  as 
War  Democrats,  who  agreed  on  that  point  with 
members  of  the  other  party,  sometimes  termed  Radi- 
cals. The  shooting  of  young  Col.  Ellsworth,  the 
first  blood  shed  in  the  war — it  was  really  a  murder — 
created  great  excitement,  as  it  pi-obal)ly  did  all  over 
the  country.  His  photograph  encircled  with  a  broad 
band  of  black,  was  on  sale  at  the  local  stores  and 
many  in  the  village  dis])layed  the  ])icture  on  their 
front   mantels. 

Long  special  trains  of  cai"s  often  went  through, 
the  bands  playing  and  the  cai"  j)latfoi-ms  filled  with 
soldiers.      In    some    instances    Hags    were    (]is])laved 

[12.-,] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 


KLXAIHAX    HUSTED 

Co.    I    lOth   C.   V. 

Died    in   service,   1864 


along  the  sides  of  tlie  cars  and  l)eneath  the  folds  of 

the  flag  appeared  the 
name  and  nnmber  of  the 
regiment  and  co]npany. 

The  boys  about  th,e  vil- 
lage found  a  great  deal 
of  iiiterest  in  watching 
these  trains  and  discuss- 
ing among  themselves  the 
places  from  whence  the 
soldiers  hailed,  all  of  them 
coming  from  jNIaine  and 
other  eastern  States.  Be- 
ing too  young  to  enlist, 

they  declared  that  they  regretted  it  and  one  or  two 

made  application  for  the  position  of  drummer  boy, 

but  with  what  success   I 

do  not  recall. 

A   fine,    tall   flag   pole 

was  erected  at  the  foot  of 

Lafayette  Place  through 

the    efforts    of    Wifliam 

Scofleld,  and  a  few  years 

ago,  when  the  watering- 
trough  was  put  there,  the 

decayed    remains    of    the 

old    })ole   were   taken  out 

„  ,,  1         mi  1  Kn.    1861    Co.    I    10th    C.    V..    Dis. 

ot  the  ground.      Ihe  pole  is'ii 

remained  there  and  was  in  use  as  late  as  1872,  when  it 

had  so  far  decayed  that  it  was  removed. 

[126] 


ALVORD    PECK 


ISAAC  J..  -MKAU 
Serg.  Co.    I    ntli   Ct.    V 

I8;u-i9i:5 


WILLIAM    LI   Id)'*' 

En.   Co.    1    lotli    C.    \'.    ISfiJ.     Di^ 

fio^i'    of    war 


1^  ^' 


J 


:     T-^  y_ 


ilSF^.: 


^^vj. 


o^i 


COLL.  WILLIAM    HILI) 

jji.    ]S{il.      I)is.    lS(iL     Co.    I    10th 

C.    V.     15r.   ISI-'.     I).    liiol 


Sl'.lU,.    C.\Li:ii    -M.    ll()L.Mi:S 
Fell     ill     battle    hef'orr     Kiclimond 
()(t.    i:?.    IS(il.,  aged  ;;?-',  while  in 
coniniaiid   Co.   I   10th  C.   V. 


WAR  TIINIES 


"♦ 


This  pole,  wlieii  it  was  fii"st  contemplated,  was  a 
subject  of  <»reat  delight 
and  anticipation.  For  sev- 
eral months  it  lay  along 
the  side  of  Lafayette 
Place,  while  the  car- 
penters and  painters 
smoothed  and  polished  its 
surface.  Lying  prostrate 
it  looked  very  short  and 
when  it  was  finallv  raised 


JOHN    lUSH   -MATTHEWS 
Co.    I    lOtli    C.    \'.     Served    3    vrs. 


and  a  topmast  added,  it 
exceeded  the  expectations 
of    all.     A    magnificent    flag,    purchased     hy    sub- 
scription,   floated    from    the   mast   head    every    day. 

Standing  where  Oscar 
Tuthill  and  his  brother 
conduct  the  Round  Hill 
Farms  Dairy,  was  a  small 
frame  two-story  building, 
which  subsequently  was 
used  I)y  the  town  for 
pnl)He  offices  and  in 
1874  was  hired  by  Henry 
B.  ^Marshall,  wlio  therein 
established  the  beginning 
of  the  present  ^Marshall's 
Market.  During  the  early 
(lavs  of  the  war  this  l)uii(ling  was  used  as  an  enlisting 


•  lA.MKS   CHKAl.D 

Co.  I   lOtli  C.  V. 

En.    ISfil.      l)i<'cl    in    s(>rvice 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 

station.  Eilly  Acker  with  his  drum  and  William 
Johnson  with  his  fife  were  constantly  at  work  drum- 
ming enthusiasm  into  ])ossihle  recruits.  It  was  an 
attractive  front  door  for  the  boys  who  hung  around 
IP-  while   the   recruiting 

officer  measured  the 
a23plicants  and  took 
their  descriptions  be- 
fore including  them 
in  the  list  of  raw  re- 
cruits. 

Company  I  of  the 
Tenth  Conn.  Volun- 
teers was  the  first  to 
go  to  the  seat  of  war 
and  included  some  of 
the  finest  young  men 
in  town.  Daniel  INIer- 
ritt  3Iead,  after- 
wards ]\Iajor,  was 
the  captain  of  this 
company  and  for 
some  weeks  before 
they  left  he  was  about  the  streets  in  his  bright  new 
uniform ;  on  drill  days  with  his  sword  at  his  side. 

We  thought  him  a  grand  and  imposing  figure,  as 
indeed  he  was,  and  he  received  the  admiration  of  all 
the  boys,  without,  probably,  realizing  it. 

My  brother,  I.,.  P.  Hu])bard,  Ji-.,  had  enlisted  for 
three  years  in  a  ^Manchester,  New  Hampshire,  Regi- 

[130] 


MAJOR  D.  M.  MEAD 

Who   went   out    as   Captain 


i/r.  riio.MAS  R.  Mi:  A  I) 

Kn.     IS(n.      Dird    in    scrxicc    t'lint. 
of  Co.  C   li'tli  ('.  \'. 


i.r.  D.w'ii)  w.  mi:  A  I) 

Kn.  Co.   I    loth  C.    \'.    IS(iJ.      He 

Miiii'.'d    is(i:,; 


WIl.l.lA.M 
M  OK  R I  SOX 

En.    lS(i2 


'  f~^        *-• 


Co.    T    lOtli    C.    V 

I  )iscli;i  ri:t'(l    cliisc 

of   wiir 


ni:.\i',v  II.  mi: A!) 

Co.    I     lOtli    C.    \'.      Died    in    MTvicc 
A])!-.    Joth.    ISCJ.   at   au-c   of   ,'I 


.SI  I. AS  K.  .MK,\I) 

Born     IS  II.      H;i.    IS(il     Co.    I    lOth 

C.    \'.      Discliariicd    close    ot'    war 


WAR  TIMES 


nieiit  aiul  tliis  _L>a\  e  nic  a  ^ood  staii(lini>"  witli  tlic  other 
boys  of  niv  own  af^c.  whose  ehler  brothers  and  fa- 
thers had  eidisted.  Siibse(iueiitly  wlieii  my  brother 
made  us  a  visit  on  furlough  1  was  very  [)roud  to 
walk  ])y  liis  side  as  he  went  about  the  village  in  his 
uniform. 

Finally  on  a  l)eautiful 
Autumn  day  in  18(>1  — 
September  2.5 — eame  the 
departure  of  Company  I. 
The  soldier  boys,  for  they 
were  generally  about 
t\\'enty-()ne  years  of  age, 
gathered  in  the  old  Town 
Hall  whieli  stood  where 
the  Soldiers'  monument 
so   appropriately    stands. 

I  quote  from  the  diary 
of  Capt.  Daniel  Meri-itl 
Mead: 

"On  the  morning  of  the 
"•2.5th    of    September   we 
"found  ourselves  ready  to  leave,  with  about  til'ty-Hve 
"men  for  rendezvous. 

''Our  friends,  at  home,  by  thousands  eseoi'ted  us  to 
"the  dei)ot.  ha\  ing  proeui-ed  a  brass  band  from  New 
"Kochelle.  \\'e  marehed  to  l*utnam  Hill  to  meet  an 
"ex])eeted  eseort  from  Mianus  whieh  Tailed  to  eome. 
"Then  we  returned  to  the  Congregational  Church 
"where  prayer  was  offered  by  l{ev.  Dr.  Linsley  and 

[133] 


1..  1'.  Ill  r.i'.AKi). 

St'i-ved  'A  Yv:n->,  Wouiulcd  Hattle  of 
l^ull      Hull 


OTHER  DAYS  IN  GREENWICH 


"a  sword  ])resented  to  the  Captain.  The  presenta- 
"tion  speech  was  made  by  Julius  B.  Curtis  in  behalf 
"of  the  donors,  who  were  Stephen  G.  White,  Wil- 
"liam  Smith,  Eyman  JNIead,  and  Charles  H.  Seaman. 
"An  affectionate  leave-taking  from  friends  was 
"tlien  had.  when  we  took  up  our  line  of  ^Nlarch  to  the 
"depot.  On  our  way  cheers  and  tears  were  alternat- 
"ing.      At    the    depot    a    speecli    was    made    by    Dr. 


^'-.4 


WHJ.IA.M    SMITH 

179S-1S7-^ 


I.Y.MAX   MEAD 


"James  II.  Hoyt  and  replied  to  by  the  Captain, 
when  leave-taking-  was  renewed  and  continued  until 
"the  arrival  of  the  train,  when  we  left  in  the  last  car 
"for  Hartford." 

]Many  of  the  soldiers  w^re  members  of  Dr.  liins- 
ley's  church  and  while  I  was  too  young  to  appreciate 
his  prayer,  it  was  said  to  have  been  very  fervent.  I 
recall  how  liis  hands  trembled  as  he  extended  them 
in  his  final  lienediction. 

All  the  village  boys  followed  the  soldiers  and  min- 

[134] 


CAPT.   SELI.ECK    L.  WHITE 

Co.    I    loili   ('.    V. 
Died    ill   NLT\ic-C'   Aiiii'.    iMfil 


I.r.    W.    I..    SWACK 

Ci).    !    Kllli    ('.    \'. 
En.    ISiil.      Dis.    isiil 


SERG. 
XORVEL   GREEX 

En.    18()1 


Co.    I    loth   C.   V 

Re-enlisted 

1864 


^^^■ 


/   '^.^ 


com'.  Ai.i'.x  \Ni)i;i{    I'l'.iiiii.s 

Color     lic;ir<T     Co.      I      loili     C.     \\ 
Killed    ;it    l)rurv\    IJliitV.    lS(il 


coHi".   WILMS  II.  wh.con: 

]'',n.   ISiil.     .Scr\c(l  :{  yrs.  Co.   I    lOth 
C.    \'. 


WAK   TniES 


.ia?*ip:s  h.  Hovr.  m.i). 

1 829-1 S7,} 

Surii'con    General    State    of 

C'oniieetieut 


gled  in  the  crowd  that  filled  the  walk  on  eitlier  side 

of  the  (histy  road. 

Until  five  years  ago  a 

bhick  niulherry  tree  grew 

on  the  east  side  of  Cxreen- 

wieh    Avenue  just   helow 

tlie     row     of     new     brick 

stores.     As  1  readied  the 

mulberry  tree   there   was 

a     slight     pause     in     the 

ranks.  Lieutenant  Ben- 
jamin Wright  and  Ser- 
geant     Wilham       Long, 

marching    side    l)y     side. 

drew  near.      I    noticed  tlie  dust  across  the  shoulders 

of   their    new    unifoi'ms,    and   then   came   to   me   the 

impression  that  one  of 
them  would  never  come 
back.  And  so  it  was — 
Tjong  was  one  of  the  first 
to  lay  down  his  life. 

Company  I  was  re- 
markable in  tlie  fact  that 
its  ranks  included  no  less 
tlian  twelve  ])air  of  broth- 
ers, Tliey  were  Krastus 
and  James  Burns,  David 
and  Jared  Finch;  John 
and  Holly  H  ubbard  AVil- 

liam  and  Drake  ^larsliali:  CMuii-lcs  and  John  McC'ann: 

[137] 


i^  ^5J> 


CHARLES    11.   SKA.MAN 

1S1!)-1S!)!) 


OTHER  DAYS  IN  GREENWICH 


William  and  George  Jerman;  Stephen  and  Henry 
Bi-ady:  (xeoroe  and  AVilliani  Robbins;  Louis  an.d 
John    Sehaffer:   Henry   and    Warren    Scott;   Aaron 

and  John  Sherwood, 
and  John  and  Thomas 
Wilson. 

In  addition  to  this 
there  were  three  in- 
stances where  father 
and  son  stood  side  by 
side,  and  in  the  ranks 
of  the  Company  were 
three  brothers-in-law. 
After  the  soldiers 
had  departed  they 
were  constantly  in 
mind  and  after  every 
engagement  the  pa- 
])ers  were  carefully 
scanned  for  news  of 
boys  at  the  front. 
I^etters  came  often, 
the  envelopes  covered  with  spirited  pictures  of  war 
scenes.  Indeed,  plain  white  envelopes  were  seldom 
seen  in  those  days,  a  flag  in  colors  usually  occupying 
the  left  hand  corner. 

The  Sanitary  Commission  had  a  branch  here,  made 
up  of  ladies  who  sewed  for  the  well  soldiers  and  put 
up    bandages    and    lint    for    the    sick    and    wounded. 

[]:i8] 


LIEUT.    BENJAMIN'    WKlCiHT 


WAR  ti:mes 


4 


^^s^^^k^^, 


Boxes  were  sent  out  hy  the  families  of  soldiers  filled 
with  siieh  simple  things  as  corn  meal,  onions,  salt  and 
pepper;  essential,  hut  often  difficult  to  yet  at  the  front. 
Quite  frequently  th.e 
great    flag    hung    at 
half   mast   and    then 
the  boys  would  won- 
der   who    had    gone 
and  whether  hy  shot, 
shell  or  disease. 

There  were  mil- 
itary funerals  of 
A\hieh  1  recall  that 
of  William  Donohue 
and  later  the  more 
imposing  funx^-als  of 
Sergeant  AVilliam 
Long,  Thomas  K. 
jNIead,  Henry  3Iead, 
a  n  (1  C  a  1  e  1)  ]\I, 
Holmes,  all  of  Com- 
])any  I,  also  that  of 
Oliver  D.  Benson  of 
another  regiment. 

When  jNlajor  Daniel  ^Nlerritt  Mead  was  brought 
home  in  a  dying  condition  the  sympathy  of  all  was 
aroused,  and  as  he  lay  sick  for  two  weeks  in  the  old 
homestead  on  the  Post  Road  many  a  prayer  was  of- 
fered for  his  recovery.      Hut  he  ])assed  awav  o!i  the 

[i:Jii] 


cor.,  oris 

Of  till-  loth  Pu-ii-.  Conn.  N'olunlicrs.  Not 
;i  (iri-ciiu  ich  man  liiit  licloNcd  l)y  cNcry 
incinIxT   of   Co.    I 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 


19th  day  of   September,   1862,  at   the  early  age  of 

twenty-eight. 

His  funeral  was  held  in 
the  Second  Congrega- 
tional Church  and  I  recall 
that  his  military  hat  and 
sword  rested  u]}on  the 
coffin.  The  church  was 
crowded  to  such  an  extent 
that  tlie  support  under 
the  west  gallery  snapped 
SERG.  WILLIAM  LOXG         like  the  report  of  a  pistol 

En.    1861    Co.    I    10th   C.    V.     Died      ^^.j^,^     ^,^^^     ^^.^.     ,  ^     ^^^     ^j^^ 
Morris    Island,    1863  ^ 

people.  Few  realized  the 
cause  of  the  peculiar 
noise. 

It  was  a  sad  morning  in 
April,  180.5,  when  tlie 
news  of  the  assassination 
of  President  Lincoln 
reached  Greenwich.  ]Mem- 
bers  of  both  political  par- 
ties bowed  their  heads  in 
sorrow  and  the  emblems 
of  mourning  were  univer- 
sal. 

The  following  chapter 
contains  an  account  of 
the  sermon  preached  by 
Rev.  William  H.  H. 
JNIurrav  on  this  occasion. 


A.MO.S  MEAD  LYON 
.Master's  Mate  V.  S.  X.,  1861-186.5. 
Last  year  on  staflF  of  .Vdnir. 
Porter.  In  several  important 
engaaements  including  I'ort 
Eisher 


[140] 


CHAPTER  XITT 

REV.    WILI.IA.M    H.    H.    Ml'HKAY 

RKV.  WILLIAM  IIKXRV  IIARllLSOX 
MLRRAY"  was  horn  in  (Tiiilford,  Conn., 
April  2(),  1840.  He  was  graduated  from  Yale  and 
from  a  school  of  Theolooy.  hecoming  acting  pastor 
of  the  Secon.d  Congregational  Church  at  the  age  of 
twenty-four.  He  remained  as  long  as  the  church 
could  kee])  him.  hut  in  18(>()  the  First  Congregational 
Church,  of  3Ieriden  offered  him  a  liheral  salary  and 
he  left. 

When  he  came  to  Greenwich  he  was,  in  years, 
scarcely  more  than  a  hoy,  yet  he  had  the  poise  and 
dignity  of  a  mature  man.  He  stood  over  six  feet 
in  height,  was  straight  as  an  arrow,  and  of  massive 
physique.  His  large,  well-shaped  head  was  covered 
with  ahundant  black  hair.  His  eyes  fairly  glittered 
with  life  and  animation. 

He  had  an  unhroken  colt  that  he  ke})t  at  Col. 
Thomas  A.  ^Mead's,  also  a  row  l)()at  on  the  Sound. 
In  ahnost  every  Congregational  home  wei-e  dis- 
plavech  in  cons])icu()Us  ])laccs.  the  photogi'aphs  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Murray.  All  of  tlie  ohl  generation 
rememhei"  him  distinctly.  Tlie  younger  generation 
has  little  knowledge  of  liim,  because  he  disappeared 

[Ul] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 

from  public  life  many  years  ago  and  the  old  photo- 
graphs ■  have  been  hidden  away  or  destroyed.  He 
was  clever,  handsome  and  magnetic  and  fearless  in 


W.   II.    II.    MIRRAY 
At   tlie   age  of  2A: 

his  preaching.     His  originality  was  unique,  usually 
pleasing  and  often  startling. 

In  speaking  of  himself  in  tlie  latter  years  of  his 
life  he  once  said:  "I  was  born  of  poor  parents,  as 
the  majority  of  Xe^^'  England  boys  were  in  my  day. 
There  had  never  been  a  rich  rascal  in  our  family,  nor 

[U-2] 


REV.  WILLIA^NI  H.  H.  ^MURRAY 

did  I  come  of  litei'ai-y  stock.  Xo  collco'c-hrcd  dunce 
had  cvei-  haii(licai)pc(l  iis  with  liis  itica|)ahlc  i-c.s])cct- 
ahility.  J  had,  tliercforc,  a  fair  start.  Tlic  Con- 
necticut Murrays  were  not  afraid  to  tell  the  trutli  to 
any  man  and  could  swear  b.eartily  at  hy])ocritical 
meanness — at  least  my  father  could.  At  the  ao-e  of 
seven  I  beg-an  to  earn  my  own  living,  as  every  boy 
should.  At  fourteen  1  read  all  the  books  I  could  lay 
my  hands  on.  At  sixteen  1  bet>'an  to  prepare  for 
college.  1  had  no  help,  no  encouragement.  My 
father  opposed  me  in  my  efforts  and  my  mother  said 
notliing.  ]My  old  neighbors  in  their  ignorance  said: 
'I  wonder  what  Bill  Murray  thinks  he  can  make  of 
himself f  Rut  I  persevered.  I  was  sensitive  to 
I'idicule.  I  had  an  impediment  in  my  speech,  but  I 
had  taken  hold  of  the  roj)e  of  knowledge  with  a  good 
grip  and  I  held  on. 

"I  started  for  \"ale  with  four  dollars  and  sixty- 
eight  cents  in  my  pocket  and  two  small  carpet  bags 
in  my  luuids — one  for  my  few  books,  tlie  other  for 
my  few  clothes.  While  at  the  university  I  \\  as  ui'ged 
by  family  and  friends,  more  than  once,  to  give  it  u]). 
One  winter  I  lived  for  four  weeks  on  a  diet  that  cost 
fifty-six  cents  a  week:  Indian  meal  and  water — not 
over  much  meal  and  a  good  deal  too  much  water. 
1  went  through  the  entii'e  course — I  don't  i-cmember 
that  I  lost  a  week.  1  was  graduated  ci'ammed  full 
of  the  knowledge  of  books  from  enormous  reading, 
seasoned  with  a  fair  ])r()ticiency  in  the  studies  of  the 
curriculum,   but    not   over   seasoned.     Then    without 

[143] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREEXWICH 

pause  I  went  to  East  Windsor,  where  they  take 
young-  men  as  Christians  and  make  them  over  into 
Calvinists,  and  studied  old  world  theology." 

While  at  Greenwich  ]Mr.  Murray  made  his  first  ex- 
cursion into  the  Adirondack  wilderness.  It  was  then 
almost  an  unknown  territory.  While  at  ^Nleriden  he 
passed  his  summer  vacations  in  the  Adirondacks  and 
wrote  to  the  Mcridcu  liccordcr  a  series  of  letters  that 
were  afterwards  incorporated  into  a  hook  entitled 
"Adventures  in  the  Wilderness,"  wliich  made  him  a 
literary  celehrity  and  gave  him  a  name  that  always 
stuck — "Adirondack  ^Murray." 

Ahout  the  same  time  appeared  in  the  Atlantic 
Mouthhj  a  story  entitled  "A  Ride  with  a  ^lad  Horse 
in  a  Freight  Car,"  which  was  said  to  contain  the  hest 
description  of  a  horse  in  action  that  was  ever  written. 

Before  coming  to  Greenwich,  ^Ir.  ^lurray  had 
married  the  daughter  of  Sheldon  Hull,  a  prosperous 
farmer  of  Essex,  Conn.  Her  sister,  Ida  Hull,  lived 
with  them  while  in  Greenwich  and  attended  the 
Academy. 

The  news  of  the  assassination  of  President  Lin- 
coln reached  Greenwich  on  Saturday  morning  at 
eight  o'clock.  Before  noon  a  meeting  of  the  pastor 
and  deacons  of  the  Second  Congregational  Church 
was  held  and  it  was  voted  to  drape  the  interior  of  the 
church  in  hlack.  INIr.  ^Murray  agreed  to  preach  an 
appropriate  sermon  the  following  morning. 

A  numher  of  the  active  young  men  and  women,  as- 
sisted hy  ]Mr.  ^lurray.  had  com])leted  the  decorations 

[144] 


REV.  WILLIA:\r  H.  H.  ^MURRAY 

hv  .sunset.  Thev  covered  tlie  front  of  the  galleries, 
twisted  the  black  iniisliii  about  the  })()sts,  h)()ped  it 
around  tlie  i)ul|)it  and  sti-un<>-  it  above  the  oroan,  till 
the  great  edifice  looked  heavy  with  the  folds  of  black, 
from  which  wei'e  visible,  here  and  there,  the  bright 
colors  of  the  stars  and  stripes. 

After  it  was  all  finished,  ^Murray  said:  "I'll  take 
a  little  outdoor  exercise  after  supper  and  when  I  re- 
turn I'll  prepare  the  special  sermon  for  to-morrow." 

Late  that  night  there  was  a  light  in  his  study  in  the 
church.  He  had  a  window  open  and  he  could  hear 
the  voices  of  the  i)eepers  in  the  distance.  Plis  heavy 
black  hair  hung  like  a  great  shock  over  his  brow. 
His  thoughts,  at  times,  came  too  fast  for  his  fingers; 
but  at  the  weird  hour  when  the  night  })egins  to  change 
to  another  day,  he  laid  down  his  pen,  put  out  the 
light,  and  with  body  erect  as  in  the  morning,  he 
strode  across  the  yard  to  the  parsonage  door. 

The  next  morning  as  he  arose  to  deliver  his  sermon 
to  an  immense  audience,  his  face  for  a  moment 
clouded  with  sorrow.  His  voice,  always  heavy,  res- 
onant and  musical,  was  at  first  husky,  but  as  he 
caught  the  sym])athy  of  his  hearers,  his  voice  cleared 
and,  without  a  note,  he  delivered  one  of  the  most  elo- 
quent discourses  ever  heard  in  that  church. 

He  began:  "To-day  the  wicked  triumph  and  the 
"good  are  brought  low.  Two  days  ago  the  Re])ublic 
"stood  erect,  strong  and  valiant;  her  foot  advanced 
"and  countenance  radiant  with  ho])e.  To-day  she 
"lies  prostrate  upon  the  ground,  hei-  features  stained 

[Uo] 


OTHER  DAYS  IN  GREENWICH 

"with  the  traces  of  recent  grief,  and  her  voice  lifted 
"in  lamentation." 

The  sermon  of  this  boy  of  twenty-four  was  filled 
with  the  wisdom  of  a  sage.  As  he  drew  toward  the 
close  he  said:  "Nor  is  he  wholly  gone!  He  lives; 
"not  in  l)odily  presence,  but  yet  he  lives,  in  the  his- 
"tory  of  his  times,  in  the  memory  of  his  age — in  the 
"affections  of  us  all.  His  name  will  not  be  forgot- 
"ten.  The  living  of  to-day  will  tell  it  to  the  unborn 
"and  they,  in  turn,  will  repeat  it  to  the  remotest  age. 
"Amid  the  doings  of  the  great  of  every  clime  will  his 
"deeds  be  recorded.  Among  the  teachings  of  the 
"wise  will  his  sayings  be  written.  In  galleries  where 
"wealth  gathers  the  faces  of  the  loved  and  the  re- 
"nowned  will  his  portrait  be  suspended,  and  in  hum- 
"bler  homes  and  in  lowlier  hearts  will  his  face  and 
"his  memory  be  retained,  until  the  present  has  be- 
"come  the  past,  and  the  children  cease  to  be  moved 
"by  the  traditions  of  the  fathers. 

"We  cannot  measure  him  to-day.  Years  must 
"pass  before  his  influence  on  his  age  can  be  estimated. 
"It  needs  the  contrast  of  history  to  reveal  his  great- 
"ness.  In  the  native  vigor  of  his  intellect,  in  the  sin- 
"cerity  of  his  purpose,  in  the  originality  of  his  views, 
"in  the  simplicity  of  his  faith,  and  in  his  sympatliy 
"for  tlie  oppressed,  what  potentate  of  his  time  will 
"bear  a  comparison  with  this  backwoodsman  of 
"America?  Untaught  in  the  formalities  of  courts, 
"he  aped  not  their  customs.  Unostentatious,  he  as- 
"pired  to  nothing  beyond  his  reach  and  seemed  to 

[146] 


REV.  WITJ.IAM   IT.  H.  ^VriKKAY 

"reach  more  than  lie  aspired  after.  He  was  incapa- 
"ble  of  })itterness,  and  in  this  doth  his  <^reatness  most 
"appear,  that  having'  defamers,  he  heeded  tliem  not. 
"persecuted  ])y  enemies  he  hated  them  not,  reviled  by 
"inferiors,  he  retorted  not." 

It  is  sad  to  think  that  a  man  as  ca})al)le  as  ^Murray 
shoukl  have  <»one  to  pieces,  like  a  ship  on  a  ledge. 
Ivcaving  ]Meriden,  he  was  the  settled  pastor  of  Park 
Street  Clmrch,  Boston,  at  the  age  of  twenty-eight. 
But  in  Eoston  his  career  seemed  a  striking  case  of  a 
square  peg  trying  to  fit  into  a  round  hole.  Sport  of 
all  kinds  fascinated  the  man,  and  the  conventionali- 
ties that  hedge  about  the  ministerial  cloth  became  ex- 
ceedingly distasteful  to  him. 

To  the  Park  Street  Church  deacons  it  was  e(iually 
distasteful  to  have  the  name  of  their  pastor  connected 
constantly  with  horse  racing.  Whether  Mi'.  Murray 
ever  risked  money  on  the  races,  was  never  established, 
but  that  he  organized  the  Boston  Buckboard  Co.  to 
introduce  a  trotting  sulky,  deemed  by  him  of  su])erior 
quality  and  put  a  good  deal  of  time  into  the  business 
of  breeding  ^Morgan  horses  at  his  Guilford  farm, 
there  is  no  question.  At  one  time  the  (ruilford  es- 
tate, which  included  tlie  old  homestead,  which  he  had 
purchased  after  it  went  out  of  the  family,  was  worth 
seventy-two  thousand  dollars,  a  fact  (piite  sufficient 
to  reassure  those  whom  ]\Ir.  ^lurray  had  persuaded 
to  invest  heavily  in  the  Buckboard  Co. 

Racing  and  religion  soon  began  to  be  blended  by 
INIr.   ^Iiirrav   in   a   manner   most   severelv   criticized. 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 


g9  ** 


He  owned  and  edited  a  weekly  paper  called  The 
Golden  Rule,  which  had  a  large  number  of  subscrib- 
ers in  Greenwich.  In  this  paper  matters  pertain- 
ing to  the  turf  and  the  cliurch  were  treated  with  so 
loose  an  attempt  at  impartiality  that  there  seemed  at 
times  to  be  a  leaning  towards  favoring  the  turf  the 

more.  As  a  natm-al  con- 
se((uence,  in  1874,  he  was 
forced  to  resign  from 
Park  Street  Church.  But 
for  the  following  three 
years  he  drew  great  audi- 
ences to  jNIusic  Hall 
where  he  preached  lib- 
erty, free  speech  and  inde- 
pendent action. 

As  a  pulpit  orator  he 
was  incomparable.  There 
was  a  peculiar  charm  in  his  delivery,  a  magnetism  in 
his  presence  and  a  profound  logic  in  his  reasoning, 
which  rendered  his  talks  positive  rhetorical  studies. 
His  religion,  at  this  time,  was  the  doctrine  of  common 
sense. 

There  was  no  egotism  in  his  manner,  no  narrowness 
in  his  ideas.  To  hear  him  was  to  realize  his  powers 
of  mind.  To  meet  him  was  to  comprehend  his  graces 
of  manner,  and  to  know  him  was  to  appreciate  his 
goodness  of  heart. 

However    he    certainly    had    no    business    ability. 
The  Golden  Rule  failed  and  to  the  buckboard  enter- 

[148] 


THOMAS  urrcH 

In    1880 


REV.  wrTj.TA:sr  n.  it.  :\n  khay 

prise  there  eanse  a  Hiiaiieial  ei'isis.  One  morning  the 
pastor,  aiithiOr,  editor  and  niannfaeturer  was  missing. 
From  Texas  lie  sent  a  letter  to  the  l^oston  newsj)apers 
deelaring  that  husiness  had  ealled  him  to  that  (hstant 


.MKS.   \V.    n.    11.   .Ml'ltKAY 

In    IS(il 

State.  He  insisted  that  he  had  always  intended  to 
retire  from  ])nhlie  life  when  he  was  foi'ty  and  that  it 
was  in  fulfillment  of  this  determination  tl'.at  he  left 
Boston  a  few  weeks  ])efore  his  fortieth  hirthday. 

In  the  fall  of  1881   Murray  eoneeived  a  |)r()jcet  of 
shipping  Texas  wood  to  Chieago  and  olhei'  noi'thern 

[149] 


OTHER  DAYS  IN  GREENWICH 

manufacturing  centers,  but  as  the  scheme  necessitated 
the  transportation  of  material  which  could  be  secured 
better  and  cheaper  nearer  home,  its  chance  of  success 
was  slight.  Yet  Murray  so  believed  in  it  that  he  built 
a  mill  on  the  Guadalupe,  about  forty  miles  from  San 
Antonio,  and  went  there  to  conduct  it.  He  also  in- 
duced people  to  invest  in  this  singular  enterj^rise. 
At  this  time  he  became,  himself,  a  teamster.  He 
dressed  in  brown  overalls,  cowhide  boots  and  a  blue 
and  white  checked  shirt.  Then  as  he  left  New 
England — with  many  debts  behind  him;  so  JNIr.  ^Iiu'- 
ray  left  Texas. 

In  the  winter  of  1883,  the  late  Thomas  Ritch  told 
me  that  he  found  him  running  a  restaiu'ant  called 
the  "Snow  Shoe"  in  INIontreal  where  JNIurray  himself, 
in  cap  and  apron,  had  cooked  and  served  for  him  a 
plate  of  buckwheat  cakes.  Here  he  met  so  many  of 
his  old  ^parishioners  that  the  restaurant  actually  served 
as  an  entering  wedge  for  the  man's  return  to  the 
world  again. 

The  winter  of  1884  he  was  back  again  on  the  Bos- 
ton lecture  ])latform.  That  same  winter,  or  the  next, 
he  lectured  in  Ray's  Hall  in  Greenwich.  A  few  of 
his  old  friends  were  present,  but  nearly  every  one  had 
forgotten  the  eloquent  preacher  of  twenty  years  be- 
fore. And  yet,  after  all  his  vicissitudes,  his  charm  of 
old  had  not  departed.  That  night  he  read  from  his 
own  works  "How  John  Norton,  the  trapper,  kept  his 
Christmas,"  a  vivid  and  exquisitely  pathetic  descrip- 
tion of  a  lonely  mountaineer's  perilous  tramp  to  in- 

[150] 


rp:v.  wii.lia]si  ii.  h.  ^niurray 

sure  a  lia])])y  C'lii-istnias  to  auotlier.  iVs  tlie  story 
was  read,  witli  tlie  same  deep  resonant  voiee  of  old, 
those  who  heard  it  eould  not  l)ut  do  homage  to  the 
luimanity  and  genius  of  its  writer. 

Refore  I  elose  tliis  ])ainful  chapter  I  must  reeur  to 
Mrs.  ^Murray  oi*  the  story  will  he  incomplete.  She 
was  a  remarkahle  woman,  possessed  of  unusual  in- 
tellectual power.  The  year  that  her  hushand  left 
her  she  entered  the  New  York  ^ledical  School  for  a 
term.  Then  she  went  to  Kurope  and  for  three  years 
studied  in  Vienna  Medical  College  and  finally  was 
graduated  in  surgery  as  well  as  medicine,  with  high 
honors.  She  was  the  first  American  woman  to  re- 
ceive, in  Euro])e,  a  diploma  entitling  her  to  practice 
as  a  surgeon.  Returning  to  her  native  land  she 
opened  an  office  in  New  Haven. 

The  same  year  that  his  wife  divorced  him  Mr. 
^lurray  married  Miss  Frances  ^I.  Rivers  of  ^lont- 
real,  a  Catholic.  With  her  and  their  four  daughters 
he  long  lived  happily  in  retirement  at  the  old  home- 
stead in  Guilford  and  there  he  died  in  !<.)()()  in  the 
same  room  in  which  he  was  horn.  His  Ixxly  was  laid 
at  rest  under  an  old  apple  tree  near  the  house. 

The  following  lines  were  written  hy  Mr.  Murray 
in  1867  as  a  ])relu(le  to  a  sermon  on  Faithfulness: 

Tilt'    |)I;iv    is   (loin tlie   curtain   drojjs 

Slow  falling-  to  tht'  pronij)ter's  bell; 

A  moment  yet  the  aetor  stoi)s. 

And  looks  around  to  say  farewell. 

It  is  an  irksome  word  and  task. 

And  wlien  he's  laughed  and  said  his  say, 

[151] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 

He  shows,  as  he  removes  the  mask, 

A  face  that's  anything  but  gay. 

So  each  shall  mourn,  in  life's  advance, 

Dear  hopes,  dear  friends,  untimely  killed — 

Shall  grieve  for  many  a  forfeit  chance, 

And  longing  passion  unfulfilled. 

Amen  !     Whatever  fate  be  sent, 

Pray  God  the  heart  may  kindly  glow. 

Although  the  head  with  cares  be  bent. 

And  whitened  with  the  winter's  snow. 


[152] 


CHAl^TKK  XIV 

AI.()N(i    PUTXA.AI    AAENUE 

AT  tlie  opening-  of  tlie  nineteentli  century  tliere 
were  hut  tliree  prominent  trees  on  the  main 
country  road  frcun  Putnam  Hill  to  Toll  Gate  Hill. 
The  hushandman's  ax  kept  the  hedge  rows  trimmed 
and  ornamental  trees  were  rarely  set  out,  as  they 
shaded  the  orowin^'  crops. 

The  three  trees  that  held  their  hranches  hi<>h  in  the 
air  were  plainly  A'isihle  from  vessels  cruising  in  the 
Sound.  They  were  hutton-hall  trees;  one  stood  in 
fron.t  of  the  old  Hol)l)y  tavern  on  what  is  now  the 
J.  H.  Fennessy  ])roperty  on  Kast  I'utnam  Avenue; 
another  spread  its  immense  limhs  over  Dearfields,  the 
home  of  Kichard  Mead,  later  of  Col.  Thomas  A. 
^Nlead;  and  the  other,  until  IDH.  stood  in  front  of 
the  Peter  Acker  homestead  on  Putnam  ^Vvenue. 
This  latter  tree  was  the  smallest  of  tlie  trio,  hut  had 
been  sturdy  and  vigorous  at  the  opening  of  the  Kevo- 
lutionary  War. 

The  Hohhy  tavern  stood  almost  exactly  on  the 
ground  occu})ied  by  ]Mr.  Fennessy \s  beautiful  house 
of  anti(}ue  style.  C'a})t.  John  Hobby  had  been  active 
in  the  eighteenth  century,  liut  on  the  l.'Jth  of  May. 
]8()"2,  when  |)rol)ablv  an  old  man.  lie  sold  all  his  Horse 

[153] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 

Xeck  real  estate  to  Hannah  Courtney.  Tliis  con- 
sisted of  twentv-two  acres,  near  the  Meeting  House, 
on  both  sides  of  the  Post  Road.  He  bounded  the 
southerly  tract  on  the  east  by  land  of  Jared  ^Nlead 
and  on  the  south  by  land  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Isaac  I^ewis. 


RESIDENCE    OF    BEALE    X.    LEWIS 

Erected     1807.     Siihsequently     tlie     lioiiie     of     Henry     .M.     l^eiiediet     and 
Dr.    William    Ciiiy    Teek 

Subsequent  deeds  bound  it  on  the  west  by  land  of  Dr. 
Lewis,  and  it  apparently  extended  east  to  wliat  is  now 
the  Frederick  ^lead  place,  west  to  the  present  line 
of  Mason  Street  and  south  to  huid  now  owned  by  the 
Greenwich  Hospital.  The  tract  on  the  north  side 
of  the  road  included  property  now  known  as  the  Elms 
and  a  considerable  tract  west  of  it.  But  the  land 
still  further  west,  belon<jin<>-  to  Dr.  Carl  E.  Martin 

[1.5-t] 


ALONG  PUTNAM  AVENUE 

and  Walter  M.  Anderson  and  Ada  M.  C'ook,  be- 
longed to  Thomas  Hobby,  probably  a  brother  of  the 
Captain. 

It  is  cleai-  that  C'ajjtain  Hobby  lived  on  tlie  sonth 
side  of  the  road  and  probably  on  the  commanding 
eminence  where  Henry  1S\.  Benedict  lived  so  many 
years,  and  afterwai'd  owned  and  occupied  by  Pro- 
fessor Wm.  (xuy  Peck  of  West  Point  and  C\)himl)ia 
College.  That  tlie  house  had  long  been  an  inn,  and 
that  it  was  of  am])le  dimensions,  shaded  by  the  great 
button-ball  ti'ee.  tliere  is  no  doubt.  But  the  slu'cwd 
Captain  Hobby  in  his  ilvvd  to  ^liss  Courtney,  a  New 
^'ork  hidv  of  wealtli  and  social  position,  makes  no 
alhision  to  a  tavern,  inn,  or  pul)lic  house,  but  de- 
scribed the  buikhngs  as  a  "mansion  house  and  barn." 

Miss  Courtney  paid  $2,84<3.75  for  the  handsomest 
piece  of  property  in  the  village  of  Horse  Neck.  At 
that  time,  li()we\ei-.  it  couhi  liardly  be  termed  a  vil- 
lage. There  were  l)ut  few  houses,  well  scattered  and 
whatever  commei'cial  interests  Greenwich  liad  were 
centered  at  Mianns.  wliere  the  Town  Clerk's  office 
was  located. 

From  the  hilltop  j)in'chased  by  jNIiss  Coui'tney  was 
an  unobstructed  view  in  all  dii-ections.  It  was  said 
that  travelers  by  stage  coach  along  the  Post  Road 
anticipated  with  pleasure  that  part  of  the  tri|)  from 
Putnam  Hill  to  Toll  (iate  Hill  where  the  view  of 
the  Sound  was  unbroken  and  unobstructed  the  entire 
distance. 

^Iv   fathei-   made   the  stage  coach   trip    from    \ew^ 

[155] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 

York  to  Boston  in  1833,  and  stopped  at  what  was 
then  the  ^lansion  House,  since  called  the  Eenox 
House,  kept  by  Augustus  Lyon.  He  (my  father) 
often  referred  to  the  fact  tliat  the  two  front  rooms 
of  the  present  Lenox  House,  are  identical  with  the 
two  front  rooms  of  that  ancien.t  hostelry — the  jNIan- 
sion  House. 

ITannali  CVinrtncy  owned  the  Hobby  property  but 

five  years.  It  is  easy  to 
imagine  that  she  did  not 
find  it  uninteresting,  but 
that  it  was  remote  from 
Xew  York,  and  that  the 
means  of  transportation 
by  sloop  or  stage  coach 
were  not  agreeable.  At 
all  events  on  November 
11,  1807,  for  the  consider- 
ation of  $500,  she  sold  it 
to  Beale  X.  Lewis.  It  is  not  likely  that  ]Miss  Court- 
ney suiFered  such  a  loss,  or  that  Mr.  Lewis  made  such 
a  good  luirgain  as  to  actually  get  the  pro])erty  for 
$.500,  which  was  doubtless  a  nominal  consideration. 
They  were  cousins. 

Beale  X.  I^ewis  was  also  from  Xew  York  City,  and 
was  a  son  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Isaac  I^ewis.  He  was  an 
able  lawyer  of  large  wealth.  As  soon  as  he  accjuired 
the  land,  lie  removed  the  Hobby  tavern  and  built 
what  was  then  con.sidered  a  grand  mansion.  It  was 
not  deep  })ut  it  was  wide,  built  like  tlu'ee  cul)es,  a 

[150] 


Dii.   WM.   G.  PECK 


ALONG  PUTXAM  AVENUE 

large  one  in  the  eentei".  and  one  at  eaeli  end  foi-  wing's. 
He  died  possessed  of  the  ])r()|>erty  in  the  spring  of 
1817,  leaving  a  widow,  KHzal)etli  Lewis,  but  no  lineal 
heirs.  His  death  oeeun-ed  seven  years  before  that  of 
his  distinguished  fatliei'. 

On  May  11,  1829,  tlie  brothers  and  sisters  of  Beale 
N.  Lewis  conveyed  tlie  same  twenty-two  acres  to 
Peter  Tillott,  James  Tillott  and  Susan  Seymour. 
They  were  ])robably  speculators  as  tliey  sul)se(|uently 
owned  otlier  land  in  town,  and  did  consideral)le  con- 
veyancing. Eut  the  venture  does  not  a])pear  to  have 
been  profitable  as  they  held  the  land  till  April  4,  1883, 
when  they  sold  it  at  cost  to  Alvan  Mead. 

In  183.3  Cornelia  J.  Graham  and  Mary  E.  Graham, 
sisters,  were  conducting  a  school  on  the  north  side  of 
the  Post  Road  where  they  ow^ned  considerable  real 
estate.  The  Alvan  jNIead  purchase  was  bounded  on 
the  east  by  their  property.  Tlie  school  was  carried 
on  in  tlie  liouse  now  known  as  the  Ehns.  The  Til- 
lotts  and  Miss  Sevmour  must  have  been  exceedinf>-lv 
tired  of  carrying  the  property  as  they  accepted  the 
entire  purcliase  price  in  a  note  secured  by  mortgage. 

Alvan  Mead  lield  it  four  years  when,  on  February 
0,  1837.  lie  sold  it  to  Obadiah  Peck  at  a  profit  of 
$3,o0(). 

JNIr.  Peck  was  one  of  our  earliest  real  estate  s])ecu- 
lators.  At  that  time  two  acres  was  considered  a 
small  plot.  Mr.  Peck  was  also  a  house  builder.  His 
aim  was  to  improve  the  land  with  buildings  and  sell 
at  a  profit.      He  occupied  the  Heale  X.  Lewis  home- 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 

stead  whose  south  windows  and  hroad  veranda  com- 
manded a  splendid  vie^v  of  Lond  Island  Sound  and 
the  intervening  country.  Here  Henry  M.  Benedict 
subsequently  resided  for  nearly  twenty  years.  This 
same  house  was  torn  down  by  E.  V.  Harkness  after 
he  2^1^11'chased  it  from  the  William  G.  Peck  estate, 
June  1.5,  1891. 

Rut  to  return  to  Obadiah  Peck.  In  18.54  he  built 
the  home  so  long  occupied  by  the  late  L.  P.  Hubbard 
and  now  owned  by  Dr.  Edward  ().  Parker.  Then 
he  built  tlie  Ranks  homestead  recently  moved  by  ^Nlrs. 
Nathaniel  Witherell  to  make  room  for  the  new  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association  building.  This  last 
venture  of  jNIr.  Peck's  was  disastrous  and  he  made  a 
bad  financial  failure. 

Refore  closing  this  chapter  and  leaving  the  neigh- 
borhood I  have  been  describing,  I  must  allude  to  the 
homestead  of  Jared  ^Nlead,  which  stood  where  now 
stands  the  Frederick  ^lead  liomestead. 

Jared  ^Nlead  was  the  father  of  Alvan  ^lead  and 
here  Alvan  was  born  in  170.5.  The  house  was  an 
old-fashioned  sweep-back,  covered  with  shingles  to 
the  sills,  which  were  close  to  the  ground.  In  the 
center  of  the  house  was  a  great  stone  chimney  which 
afforded  an  open  fire  place  in  each  room  of  its  two 
stories.  Down  the  liill  a  short  distance  were  the 
somber  farm  barns.  ^Ir.  ^Nlead  was  a  sprightly  little 
man  with  a  numerous  family.  He  was  prominent 
and  active  in  the  affairs  of  the  fleeting  House,  hard 
by  on  the  hill.     Perhaps  it  should  be  called  the  Sec- 

[158] 


ALoxG  putxa:m  avenue 

Olid  CoiioTegational  C'liurcli  hut  lie  always  called  it 
"Tlif  Meetiii<>'  House." 

The  liouse  was  douhle,  the  hall  in  the  center  ex- 
tendiii'*-  from  the  front  door  to  the  great  chimney, 
where  winding  stairs  with  white  ])ainted  hanisters 
and  a  cherry  i-ail  led  to  the  second  stoi'v.  On  one 
side  of  this  hall  was  the  li\ing  room  and  the  other  the 
■'hest  room/'  in  later  years  called  the  "parloi-."  15oth 
these  rooms  had  grand  old  fire  places  with  crane 
and  pot  hooks,  hlackened  hy  the  smoke  and  flame. 
The  hearth  was  an  enormous  slah  of  hhie  stone, 
cracked  across  fi'om  the  heat  of  the  great  logs,  seven 
feet  long,  that  hlazed  merrily  all  the  winter  day  and 
smouldered  under  a  hed  of  ashes  all  night. 

It  was  ]Mr.  ^lead's  duty  as  an  active  memher  of  the 
church  to  su})])ly  the  Sahhath  attendants  with  ma- 
terial for  their  foot  stoves.  On  Saturday  an  unusual 
supply  of  fire  wood  was  stacked  against  the  chimney 
jamhs  and  hy  ten  o'clock,  Sunday,  a  large  (juantity 
of  live  coals  was  heaped  in  the  s])aci()us  chimney  place. 
As  the  old  hell  in  the  ^Meeting  House  was  calling  the 
])arishioners  to  worship,  they  would  repair  to  Mr. 
Mead's  and  fill  their  foot  stoves  with  live  coals. 

It  was,  however,  a  rule  of  the  family  that  no  com- 
munication whatever  should  he  had  witli  those  who 
called  and  no  niemhei"  of  the  family  should  go  into 
the  "hest  room,"  lest  it  l)e  said  that  they  were  enter- 
taining visitors  on  the  Sahhath  day.  Those  who 
came  understood  and  approved  of  the  I'ule.  They 
opened  the  dooi*  unhidden  and  filling  their  stoves  with 

[1.51)] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 

coals  went  out  witli  (jiiiet  dignity.  Tliere  was  no 
levity;  no  common-place  remarks,  only  the  most  for- 
mal salutations  were  made.  If  anything  was  said, 
it  referred  to  the  discourse  which  they  expected  to 
hear,  or  at  noon,  when  the  stoves  were  replenished, 
concerning  the  sermon  which  they  had  heard.  The 
afternoon  was  a  repetition  of  the  morning  and  the 
winter  twilight  was  scarcely  an  hour  away  when  the 
church  was  closed. 


[160] 


CHAPTER  XV 

THE    DAYS    OF    1?()SS     TWEED 

AT  tile  ])re.sent  time  there  are  many  people  resid- 
ino-  in  (rreenwich  who  have  never  heard  of  Boss 
Tweed.  Sinee  his  day  the  new  generation  has  been 
taught  history  but  local  ehai'aeters  like  Tweed  have 
usually  been  ignored.  During  the  past  five  years  I 
have  made  a  test  and  have  been  surprised  how  the 
once  notorious  ])()litieian  has  ])een  forgotten.  For 
that  reason  this  ehaptei-  will  be  devoted  to  the  man. 
without  any  allusion  to  his  residence  in  Cireenwich. 

1  attended  Tweed's  trial  during  the  fall  of  1873 
and  also  did  some  clerical  work  for  the  Committee 
of  Seventy,  being  then  a  law  student  in  New  A'ork 
City.  But  much  that  follows  in  this  chapter  has  been 
culled  from  1{.  ]{.  \Vilson,  who  wrote  a  pamphlet  on 
the  subject  which  is  said  to  have  been  suppressed. 

Until  the  year  18;U  the  Mayor  of  the  City  of  Xew 
York  was  chosen  either  by  the  State  Council  of  Ap- 
pointments oi-  by  the  Common  Council  of  the  city. 
After  18.*U.  however,  that  official  was  elected  by  the 
citizens.  In  184()  the  judiciaiy  was  made  elective 
and  thereaftci'  most  local  offices  were  chosen  by  po])u- 
lar  vote.  During  the  first  seventy  years  of  Xew 
York's  historv  as  a  free  citv  the  Democratic  partv 

[161] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 

was  tile  one  usually  in  power.  The  Federalists  and 
after  them  the  Whigs  occasionally  secured  control  of 
affairs,  but  the  Democrats  always  recovered  their 
hold  on  the  reins. 

And  without  exception  all  the  Democratic  ^Mayors 
of  that  period  owed  their  election  to  Tammany  Hall, 
a  secret  association  whose  social  and  benevolent  aims 
had  been  early  put  aside  for  political  ones. 

Business  men,  then  as  now,  shrank  from  political 
activity,  while  the  men  who  directed  Tammany  Hall 
kn.ew  how  to  drill  and  control  the  mass  of  poor  and 
ignorant  voters,  mainly  of  foreign  birth,  who  after 
1840  constituted  a  majority  of  the  voters.  Still  the 
majority  which  assured  the  continuance  in  or  return 
to  power  of  Tammany  Hall  and  its  allies  was  often 
a  narrow  one  and  victories  were  gained  liy  fraud, 
intimidation  and  violence  at  the  polls. 

The  master  spirit  of  the  organization  in.  the  early 
'50's  was  Fernando  Wood,  an  able  and  resolute  man, 
who  held  to  the  belief  that  success  was  the  criterion 
in  politics,  and  that  almost  anything  was  justifiable 
to  win  it. 

In  18.54  Wood  became  ^Nlayor,  and  was  reelected 
at  the  end  of  two  years.  Then  he  quarreled  with  his 
associates  in  Tammany  Hall  and  failed  of  a  reelec- 
tion in  18.58.  Following  this  he  formed  Mozart  Hall 
as  a  rival  organization,  and  with  its  hel])  and  that  of 
the  mob  in  the  lower  wards  succeeded  in  18()()  in  de- 
feating Tammany  Hall  and  putting  himself  at  the 
head  of  the  City  Government. 

[162] 


ir* 


^V 


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!,, 


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i'M'.t 


-fmtk 


7 


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WII.I.IA.M    M.    JWKED 
I'hnlo    liy    lirady    in    ISTl 
18-'S-l!S7S 


THE  DAYS  OF  BOSS  TWEED 

In  1862  Tammany  a<>ain  secui'cd  control,  and  for 
several  years  political  con-iij)ti()n  was  rife  in  the  City 
of  New  York. 

This  era  of  coi-riij)ti()n  was  made  easy  l)y  radical 
changes  in  methods  of  municipal  administration  ef- 
fected in  18.)7.  In  that  year  a  new  charter  was 
passed  foj-  the  city,  which,  besides  dividing  the  re- 
sponsibility among  the  local  officers,  created  a  number 
of  B(;ards  and  Commissions,  the  heads  of  which  were 
not  appointed  by  the  Mayor,  but  elected  by  the  voters 
of  the  city,  as  were  also  the  Comptroller  and  Corpora- 
tion Counsel. 

]More  important  still,  coincident  with  the  enact- 
ment of  the  new  charter,  a  law  was  passed  establishing 
for  the  County  of  Xew  York  a  Board  of  Su])ervisors, 
chosen  by  popular  vote,  which  was  made  inde- 
pendent of  the  city  authoiMties,  and  vested  with 
power  to  levy  tlie  local  taxes  and  to  direct  those 
branches  of  administration  which  in  the  State  at  large 
were  relegated  to  the  county  authorities. 

One  of  the  first  to  discover  the  chance  for  private 
gain  at  public  expense  made  possible  by  the  legisla- 
tive changes  of  18.57  was  William  ^1.  Tweed,  a  native 
of  the  city.  He  was  a  man  of  Scotch  ])arentage,  who 
after  failing  in  business  as  a  chairmaker  had  in  the 
late  'iO's  turned  to  politics  as  a  means  of  livelihood. 

He  became  first  a  member  and  then  foreman  of 
one  of  the  volunteer  fire  companies  of  the  ])eriod, 
known  as  the  Hig  Six.  thereby  achieving  po[)ularity, 
which    brought    him    to    the    attention    of    Tammany 

[165] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 

leaders.  He  was  elected  an  Alderman  of  the  city 
in  18.50  and  in  1853  was  chosen  a  member  of  Congress. 
But  he  never  cared  for  Wasliington  and  in  1857  he 
was  elected  Public  Scliool  Commissioner  and  subse- 
quently State  Senator. 

INIeanwhile  Tweed  had  liimself  elected  to  the  newly 
created  Board  of  Supervisors,  of  which  he  was  four 
times  chosen  president  and  of  which  he  remained  the 
directing  spirit  until  1870  when  it  passed  out  of  ex- 
istence. 

Leadership  of  this  board,  wliich  had  the  power  of 
auditing  accounts,  gave  him  an  opportunity  to  se- 
cure various  privileges  wliicli  were  frauds  upon  tlie 
city,  and  he  made  the  most  of  it.  Thus  obtaining 
control  of  an  obscure  newspaper,  he  secured  tlie  pas- 
sage of  a  bill  by  the  legislature  making  it  the  official 
organ  of  tlie  City  Government  and  it  was  paid  over  a 
million  dolhirs  for  printing  the  i)roceedings  of  the 
Common  Council,  whicli  no  one  read. 

He  also  established  a  company  for  the  printing  of 
blank  forms  and  vouchers  for  which  in  one  year 
$2,800,000  was  charged.  A  stationers  company  con.- 
trolled  })y  Tweed  which  furnished  all  the  stationery 
used  in  the  public  institutions  and  departments  re- 
ceived some  three  million  dollars  a  year.  Tweed  em- 
ployed certain  persons  as  executive  heads  of  these 
companies  wlio  were  also  upon  the  city  pay  rolls,  some 
receiving  money  for  work  never  done.  Wliile  serv- 
ing as  State  Senator  and  president  of  the  Board  of 
Supervisors,   Tweed  also   hehl  the  office  of  Deputy 

[166] 


THE  DAYS  OF   HOSS  TWEED 

StiTC't  CoinmissioiRT  witli  "authority  to  a|)])oiiit  as 
many  as  a  tlioiisaiul  oiWvv  holders,  many  of  wliom 
(lid  no  work  except  to  serve  liim.  yet  were  ])aid  out  of 
the  city  treasury." 

By  sueli  methods  as  these  Tweed  advanced  in  a 
few  years  frcm  poverty  to  _L>'i"eat  wealth,  and  at  the 
same  time,  made  liimself  muhsputed  master  of  Tam- 
many IlalL 

In  ISd.'J  lie  was  chosen  chairman  of  the  General 
Committee  of  tlie  or<»anization  and  (rrand  Sachem 
of  the  Tammany  Society.  In  18(58.  also,  he  assured 
Tammany  Hall's  alsolute  conti'ol  of  the  city  hy  ef- 
fectintr  a  truce  \\ith  its  rival  organization.  W'ood's 
Mozart  Hall,  the  ])rice  of  peace  heing  AVood's  elec- 
tion to  Congress.  This  truce  hronght  Tweed  two 
efficient  lieutenants.  A.  Oakey  Hall  and  Alhert 
Cardoza.  an  able  lawyer,  who  was  made  a  judge  of 
one  of  the  city  courts.  Two  other  men  })lace(l  upon 
th.e  bench  aliout  the  same  time  because  "tliey  could 
be  relied  ui)on,"  were  John  H.  McCumi  and  Cxcorge 
G.  Barnard.  Other  ]K)liticians  who  came  into  close 
alliance  with  Tweed  were  Richard  B.  Connolly  and 
Peter  B.  Sweeny. 

In  186.5  Tweed  and  his  associates  secured  the  elec- 
tion of  John  T.  Hoffman  as  Mayor  and  thi-ee  years 
later  he  was  elected  Governor.  At  that  time  the 
charge  was  freely  made  that  Hoffman's  election  was 
secured  by  the  ])ractice  of  frauds  described  as  colossal 
and  "embracing  evei'v  knoun  method  of  cori-uption 
in  the  ballot  box."      Tammanv  Hall  at  the  same  time 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 

i 
secured  control  of  the  legislature  of  the  State  and  the 

Common  Council  of  the  City. 

Hall  succeeded  Hoffman  as  ]VIa3^or;  Connolly  be- 
came City  Comptroller;  James  Sweeny  was  City 
Chamberlain  and  with  Tweed  supreme  in  the  street 
department  and  the  Board  of  Supervisors,  the  ring 
which  had  long  been  in  the  process  of  formation  "be- 
came completely  organized  and  matured."  Then 
Tweed  and  his  lieutenants  set  to  work  to  seciu'e  a 
new  city  charter,  which  would  make  doubly  sure  their 
control  of  the  finances  of  the  city. 

This  charter  became  a  law  in  1870.  It  abolished 
the  Board  of  Supervisors,  again  vesting  its  functions 
in  the  ^Nlayor,  Recorder  and  Aldermen  of  the  city, 
and  centered  responsibility  for  the  administration  of 
municipal  affairs  in  the  ^layor,  who  was  given  au- 
thority to  appoint  all  his  important  subordinates. 
It  surrendered  the  Police  Department  to  men  con- 
trolled by  the  ring;  it  re-organized  the  Park  Depart- 
ment in  such  manner  that  three  of  the  five  commis- 
sioners became  for  five  years  each,  tools  of  Tweed; 
it  vacated  the  office  of  Street  Commissioner,  vesting 
all  the  powers  of  the  office  in  a  Commissioner  of 
Public  Works  to  be  appointed  by  the  ^Nlayor  for  a 
term  of  four  years.  Tweed  received  the  appoint- 
ment. The  Governor  had  no  power  to  remove  him 
on  charges.  He  could  only  be  impeached  through 
charges  made  bv  the  flavor,  and  could  onlv  be  tried 
in  case  every  one  of  the  six  judges  of  the  Court  of 
Common  Pleas  was  present. 

[168] 


THE  DAYS  OF  BOSS  TWEED 

Tile  new  charter  also  created  a  Board  of  Apportion- 
ment made  up  of  tlie  ^layoi*.  C\)mptroller.  Commis- 
sioner of  Public  AVorks  and  President  of  the  Park 
Department,  and  vested  with  power  to  make  all  neces- 
sary ajjpropriations  for  the  con(hict  of  the  city  ^'ov- 
ernment.  The  men  who  composed  this  l)oard  were 
Hall,  Connolly,  Tweed  and  Sweeny,  who  had  re- 
signed the  office  of  City  Chamberlain  to  become 
President  of  the  Park  De])artment.  And  in  this 
way  the  ring  secured  unchecked  control  of  the  ex- 
penditures of  the  city. 

Yet  another  tool  for  j)lun(ler  was  forged  at  this 
time.  By  a  special  act  of  the  legislature  a  Board  of 
Audit  was  created  and  it  was  vested  with  power  to  ex- 
amine and  allow  all  claims  against  the  city  prior  to 
1870.  Its  purpose  was  to  put  money  into  the  pockets 
of  members  of  the  ring  and  to  reimburse  them  for 
the  large  sums  they  had  been  compelled  to  s))en(l  to 
secure  the  adoption  of  the  new  charter  by  the  legisla- 
ture. This  purpose  was  promptly  put  into  execution 
and  in  less  than  four  months  after  its  creation  orders 
were  made  by  the  Board  of  Audit  for  the  payment 
of  claims  to  the  amount  of  $6,312,500,  ninety  ])er 
cent,  of  which  went  into  the  pockets  of  the  members 
of  the  ring. 

Yarious  other  special  legislative  acts  were  ])assed 
whereby  the  ring  had  power  to  raise  and  ex])end 
nearly  fifty  millions  of  dollai"s  in  a  single  yeai". 

Other  laws  were  passed  which  ])laced  the  ring  in 
more  complete  control   of  tlie   Hoaid  of  Education 

[109] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 

and  of  tlie  Police  and  Health  Boards,  while  there 
was  also  created  a  Board  of  Street  Opening  and  Im- 
provement, comi^osed  of  the  Mayor,  Comptroller, 
Commissioner  of  Public  Works  and  Tax  Commis- 
sioner, vested  with  power  whenever  its  members 
"deemed  it  for  the  public  interest  so  to  do"  to  close, 
open,  widen  or  straighten  any  or  all  of  the  streets  of 
the  city. 

The  passage  of  these  laws  marked  the  culmination 
of  the  ring's  power,  and  it  has  been  said  that  during 
the  winter  they  were  being  enacted  "Tweed  lived  in 
Albany  with  all  the  state  of  a  sovereign  who  had 
ju'odigious  favors  to  bestow  or  awful  penalties  to  en- 
force." There  seemed  never  to  have  entered  his  mind 
a  suspicion  of  the  power  of  an  aroused  public  opin- 
ion. 

The  story  of  the  downfall  of  tlie  ring,  however, 
should  be  prefaced  by  a  brief  description  of  the  meth- 
ods which  it  employed  to  fill  the  pockets  of  its  mem- 
bers. The  opening  or  widening  of  streets  was  one 
of  the  most  fruitful  sources  of  illicit  gain.  A  favorite 
method  of  fraud  practiced  by  the  ring  consisted  in  the 
])ayment  of  enormously  increased  bills  to  mechanics, 
architects,  furniture  makers,  and,  in  some  instances 
to  unknown  persons  for  sup])lies  and  services.  It 
was  the  expectation  that  an  honest  bill  would  be 
raised  from  sixty  to  ninety  })er  cent.  The  average 
increase  was  such  as  to  make  it  possible  to  give  sixty- 
seven  per  cent,  to  the  ring,  the  confederates  being  al- 
lowed to  keep  the  thirty-three  per  cent.,  and  of  that 

[170] 


THE  DAYS  OF  l^OSS  TWEED 

tliirty-tliree  per  cent,  probably  oiR-hall"  was  a  fraud- 
ulent increase. 

Tbis  «^anie  readied  a  climax  in  tlie  County  Court 
House,  still  standing-  in  City  Hall  Pai'k.  \\^)rk  on 
this  structure  was  be^un  under  a  sti])ulation  that  the 
cost  should  not  exceed  $250, ()()().  but  before  1S71  more 
than  eight  millions  bad  been  spent  on  it.  one  million 
of  which  was  ultimately  traced  to  Tweed's  pocket. 

When  a  contractor  submitted  a  bill  he  would  be 
told  to  swell  the  amount  of  the  total,  at  the  same 
time  being  given  to  understand  that  payment  de- 
pended upon  C()m])liance  with  this  oi-der.  Then  a 
warrant  would  be  di'awn  for  the  padded  claim  and 
the  contractor  paid  a  sum  slightly  in  excess  of  his 
orioinal  bill,  while  the  balance  would  be  divided 
among  the  members  of  the  ring.  Xor  was  there  any 
immediate  danger  of  detection.  Tweed  as  Commis- 
sioner of  l^ublic  \\'orks  would  order  work  done;  as 
President  of  the  Hoai'd  of  Su])ervisors  he  would  see 
to  it  that  the  bills  were  passed,  and  then  the  County 
Auditor,  wlio  was  his  ])hant  tool,  would  issue  warrants 
of  ])ayment. 

AH  this  time  suspicion  was  i"ife  in  the  commuin'ty. 
Thomas  Xast,  th.e  cartoonist  for  II(irj)cr\s  U\'('Jilt/. 
was  constantly  illustrating  the  inicpiities  of  the  ring. 
Tweed's  face  and  figure,  with  the  blazing  diamond  in 
his  shirt  front,  were  always  })efore  the  public.  He 
once  said.  'T  don't  care  what  the  papers  ])rint  so  nuich 
l)ut  I  don't  like  those  pictui'es,"  and  in  the  end  they 
were  the  cause  of  Tweed's  a])pi'ehension. 

[171] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 

One  of  the  politicians  of  the  period  was  James 
O'Brien,  a  former  sheriff  of  the  county,  who  in  1871 
was  the  leader  of  the  Young  Democracy,  an  organiza- 
tion which  had  for  its  piu'pose  the  overthrow  of  the 
power  of  Tweed  in  Tammany  Hall. 

Through  O'Brien's  influence  a  friend  of  his  named 
Copeland  had  secured  a  place  as  an  accountant  in  the 
office  of  the  Comptroller.  The  magnitude  of  the  city 
expenditures  recorded  in  the  hooks  and  the  fact  that 
these  enormous  payments  were  made  to  a  few  persons 
aroused  Copeland's  suspicions.  He  transcribed  the 
figures  and  showed  the  transcript  to  ]Mr.  O'Brien. 
They  were  taken  by  the  latter  to  the  office  of  a  daily 
newspaper  in  the  city  and  offered  for  publication  but 
were  "declined  with  thanks." 

Thereupon  ]Mr.  O'Brien  called  upon  George  Jones, 
publisher  of  the  Times,  and  handed  him  the  transcripts 
from  the  Comptroller's  accounts.  JNIr.  Jones  con- 
sulted his  editorial  staff  and  it  was  decided  that  the 
figures  should  be  published.  This  decision  was  made 
known  to  ^Ir.  O'Brien,  who  took  the  incriminating 
accounts,  retained  them  for  a  short  time  and  then 
returned  them  to  ^Ir.  Jones  with  the  unconditional 
permission  to  publish. 

Tweed  in  some  manner  discovered  that  his  guilty 
secrets  were  about  to  be  published  and  his  desperate 
efforts  to  forestall  the  publication  were  as  charac- 
teristic of  him  as  their  complete  defeat  was  charac- 
teristic of  ]Mr.  Jones. 

Tweed  sent  an  offer  to  buv  the  Times  at  anv  price. 

[IT-''] 


THE  DAYS  OF  BOSS  TWEED 

The  emissary  who  was  sent  pr()in|)tly  reported  the 
faihire  of  his  mission.  Tweed's  next  move  was  so 
extraordinary  tliat  ^Ir.  Jones'  own  aceount  of  wliat 
happened,  talven  from  Harper's  Weeklji  of  Fehruary 
22,  1890,  deserves  to  he  reproduced  here. 

"Tliis  conversation  (l)etween  Tweed's  emissary 
"and  Mr.  Jones)  occurred  in  Jones'  office  in  tlie 
''Times  Buildino",  then  down  town  in  Printino-  House 
"S(iuare.  A  lawyer  who  was  a  tenant  in  the  ])uild- 
'"ino-  sent  for  jNIr.  Jones  to  come  to  his  office,  as  he 
"wished  to  see  him  on  an  important  matter.  Think- 
"ing  that  the  husiness  pertained  to  the  })uihhng,  iNIr. 
"Jones  went  to  tlie  hiwyer's  office,  and,  heing  ushered 
"into  a  private  room,  was  confronted  hy  Richard 
"B.  Connolly,  the  Comptroller,  Tw^eed's  partner  in 
"crime.  T  don't  want  to  see  this  man.'  said  ^Ir. 
"Jones  and  he  turned  to  go  out  of  the  room.  'For 
"God's  sake!'  exclaimed  Connolly,  'let  me  say  one 
"word  to  you.'  At  this  appeal  ^Ir.  Jones  stopped. 
"Connolly  then  made  a  proposition  to  forego  the 
"puhlication  of  the  documents  Jones  had  in  his  pos- 
"session,  and  offered  him  an  enormous  sum  of  money 
"to  do  this.  The  amount  of  this  offer  Mas  five  mil- 
"lion  dollars.  As  Connoll\-  waited  for  the  answer 
"Mr.  Jones  said,  T  don't  think  the  Devil  will  ever 
"make  a  higher  hid  foi-  me  than  tliat!'  Comiollv 
"then  hegan  to  plead,  and  drew  a  gi'a])hic  })ictui-e  with 
"what  one  could  do  with  such  a  sum.  He  concluded 
"by  saying:  'Why.  witli  five  nn'lhOn  dollars  you 
"can  go  to   Europe  and    Vwv   hke   a    ])rince!'      'Ves,' 

[173] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 

"said  ]Mr.  Jones,  'but  I  should  know  that  I  was  a 
rascal.'  " 

The  first  installment  of  the  accounts  was  printed  in 
the  Times  July  22,  1871.  They  showed  the  payment 
of  the  sum  of  $5,663,646  during  the  years  1869  and 
1870  for  "repairs  and  furniture"  for  the  new  Court 
House.  Each  warrant  was  signed  by  Comptroller 
Connolly  and  INIayor  Hall,  and  all  were  endorsed  to 
"Ingersoll  k  Co.,"  that  is,  James  H.  Ingersoll,  the 
agent  of  the  ring. 

The  Times  followed  with  other  installments  of 
secret  accounts  more  fully  revealing  the  extent  of 
the  plundering. 

It  had  unmasked  the  ring  and  it  pursued  its  ad- 
vantage with  extraordinary  energy.  An  immense 
number  of  copies  of  each  issue  of  the  paper  contain- 
ing the  figures,  running  into  hundreds  of  thousands, 
was  published.  These  proofs  awakened  the  slumber- 
ing city.  The  Committee  of  Seventy,  made  up  of 
prominent  citizens,  was  formed  early  in  September  to 
obtain  legal  proof  of  the  frauds  revealed  ])y  the  Times 
and  to  prosecute  the  offenders.  At  the  same  time 
Samuel  J.  Tilden,  aided  by  Charles  O'Conor  and 
Francis  Kernan,  all  three  lawyers  of  great  ability, 
set  to  work  to  achieve  the  same  end.  ^Ir.  O'Conor, 
who  was  then  the  unchallenged  leader  of  the  New 
York  l)ar,  consented  to  aid  in  the  investigation  only 
upon  condition  that  he  should  serve  without  com- 
pensation. 

Tlie  task  of  bringing  the  offenders  to  justice  ap- 


THE  DAYS  OF  BOSS  TWEED 

])eare(l  at  tlie  outset  a  (iifticult  and  nearly  hopeless 
one.  Tweed  was  insolent  and  defiant.  The  Board 
of  Aldermen  and  all  the  loeal  otheers  were  members 
of  the  ring. 

But  in  September,  1871,  an  efl'eetive  weapon  was 
unexpectedly  placed  in  tlie  hands  of  ^Ir.  Tilden. 
One  morning  in  tliat  niontli  lie  was  visited  by  a  mes- 
senger from  Comptroller  Connolly,  who  was  con- 
vinced that  it  was  Tweed's  intention  to  offer  him  up 
as  a  sacrifice  to  appease  public  sentiment  on  the 
charge  that  the  frauds  had  been  committed  in  his 
department,  by  his  conni^•ance  and  for  his  exclusive 
benefit. 

This  the  messenger  ex})lained  to  Mr.  Tilden,  and 
asked  the  latter's  advice,  suggesting  that  it  nn'ght  l)e 
l)est  for  Connolly  to  resign  his  office.  Subsecjuently 
Mr.  Tilden  suggested  that  Connolly  appoint  Andrew 
H.  Cxreen,  an  eminent  and  honored  law^yer,  his  deputy 
and  then  surrender  the  office  to  him.  This  was  done 
and  jNIr.  (Treen  became  head  of  tlie  Comptroller's 
office,  with  power  to  examine  and  pul^lish  all  ex- 
penditures under  the  ring,  and  to  prevent  any  con- 
tinuation of  the  fraudulent  practices. 

Though  a  partially  successful  attempt  was  made  to 
burn  all  the  vouchers  soon  after  Mr.  (rreen  took  pos- 
session, of  the  charred  scraps  remaining  (great 
bundles  of  them),  Mr.  Tilden  was  engaged  for  some 
ten  days  in  making  a  searcliing  analysis,  which  fur- 
nished legal  ])roof  of  the  crime.  He  succeeded  also 
in  ti'acing  thi'ough  one  of  the  banks  the  checks  which 

[175] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 

had  been  issued  in  payment  of  the  accounts  which 
the  vouchers  purported  to  represent. 

Indeed,  jNIr.  Tilden's  study  of  the  vouchers  and  the 
bank  accounts  has  often  been  pronounced  one  of  the 
most  remarkable  pieces  of  analysis  ever  offered  to 
the  courts.  Judge  Noah  Davis,  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  who  sat  upon  the  trial  of  Tweed,  and  heard  this 
demonstration  offered  in  evidence,  afterwards  de- 
clared it  as  perfect  a  specimen  of  logic  and  mathemat- 
ical proof  as  the  books  anywhere  contained. 

AVith  checks,  stubs,  charred  vouchers  and  other 
documents,  jNIr.  Tilden  was  able  to  show  the  exact 
amount  of  money  stolen  in  each  given  instance  and 
the  exact  division  of  the  spoils.  It  was,  however, 
then  or  later  impossible  to  make  an  accurate  estimate 
of  tlie  total  amount  of  money  stolen  by  the  ring.  Be- 
tween 1860  and  1871  the  debt  of  the  city  increased 
from  $20,000,000  to  $101,000,000,  and  it  is  believed 
that  at  least  $14,000,000  of  this  increase  represented 
fraud  and  theft. 

The  appointment  of  ]Mr.  Green  acting  Comptroller 
thoroughly  alarmed  Tweed,  and  he  made  desperate 
attempts  to  stem  the  tide  that  was  setting  against 
him.  At  the  Democratic  State  Convention,  held  in 
October,  he  received  the  nomination  to  the  State  Sen- 
ate and  his  personal  jjopularity  in  his  district,  where 
he  had  been  bountiful  in  his  gifts  to  tlie  poor,  assured 
liis  election.  Rut  he  never  took  his  seat.  He  was 
arrested  October  20,  1871,  in  a  civil  action  instituted 
bv  tlu^  Committee  of  Seventv  and  released  on  bail. 

[170]' 


THE  DAYS  OF  BOSS  TWEED 

III  Det'eml)ei-  he  was  indicted  for  fraud  and  felony, 
and  two  weeks  later  he  resioned  his  post  as  Commis- 
sioner of  I'uhlie  \\^)rks,  eeasino-  ahout  the  same  time 
to  he  the  official  head  of  Tammany  Hall.  He  was 
hronoht  to  trial  after  many  delays  in  January,  187*3, 
but  the  ring  still  retained  sufficient  influence  to  se- 
cure a  disaoreement  of  the  jury. 

On  a  second  trial  in  the  followin<>-  Xovemher  he  was 
convicted  on  fifty  out  of  fifty-five  chart>'es  at^ainst 
him  and  sentenced  hy  .Judge  Davis  to  an  aggregate 
of  twelve  years  imprisonment.  But  at  the  end  of 
the  year,  Tweed  was  released,  the  Court  of  Appeals 
holding  that  he  could  not  begin  to  serve  a  new  sen- 
tence of  a  year  at  the  end  of  a  term  of  service  of 
l)unishnient  upon  another  count. 

He  was  at  once  i"e-ari-ested  u]}on  civil  actions  to 
recover  six  million  dollars  stolen  from  the  city,  and 
])eing  unable  to  obtain  bail  was  kept  in  confinement 
in  Ludlow  Street  jail.  There  he  remained  until  De- 
cember. 1875.  wlien  he  effected  his  esca])e  and  was 
next  heard  of  in  \^igo,  S})ain.  Here  he  was  arrested 
and  brought  back  in  a  Federal  man-of-war  and  re- 
turned to  jail.  'I'his  was  in  November,  187<>,  and  in 
the  following  Mai'ch  the  city  recovered  judgment 
against  him  foi-  -^C). .)()(). ()()().  He  could  not  pay. 
In  April.  1878.  he  died  in   jail. 

I  have  told  this  long  story  of  Tweed  in  oi'der  that 
what  follows,  connicting  him  with  (ii'eeiiwieh.  may 
he  more  significant  to  the  younger  generation.  And 
before    I    close    this    chapter    it    should    a])])ear    that 

[17T] 


OTHER  DAYS  IN  GREENWICH 

Tweed,  more  than  any  other  man  of  liis  time,  fore- 
saw New  York's  imperial  future. 

It  was  at  his  initiative  that,  in  1868,  the  legislature 
chartered  a  company  for  the  construction  of  a  rapid 
transit  subway  on  lines  nearly  identical  with  the 
lower  half  of  the  route  now^  in  operation,  and  in  the 
same  year  he  was  instrumental  in  setting  apart  in 
Central  Park  a  site  for  the  present  INIetropolitan 
JMuseum  of  Art. 

Credit  must  be  given  him  for  the  establishment 
of  fine  floating  baths,  the  New^sboys'  Lodging  House 
and  the  city's  paid  fire  department,  which  has  since 
become  a  model  for  the  world.  He  did  much  to  aid 
the  extension  and  betterment  of  Central  Park,  and  it 
is  a  matter  of  record  that  those  who  had  the  work  in 
charge  never  ap^^ealed  to  him  in  vain  for  legislation 
or  for  funds. 

No  suspicion  of  fraud  ever  attached  to  this  great 
undertaking,  and  it  is  said  that  Tweed  ordered  his 
followers  to  keep  hands  off  the  park.  Another  great 
work  designed  and  accomplished  by  Tweed  was  the 
widening  of  Broadway  from  32nd  to  59th  Street  and 
the  construction  of  what  was  long  known  as  the 
Boulevard,  but  is  now  officially  a  section  of  Broad- 
w^ay,  and  which  before  its  improvement  was  a  narrow 
unpaved  country  road.  He  also  led  in  the  creation 
of  the  system  of  city-owned  and  improved  Avater 
front,  in  which  $6(),()()(),()()()  is  invested,  and  which  has 
proved  a  boon  to  commerce  and  at  the  present  time 
affords  what  is  regarded  by  students  of  the  subject 

[178] 


THE  DAYS  OF  BOSS  TWEED 

as  the  most  strikiii<4-  example  offered  liere  or  abroad 
of  ])n)fitable  municipal  ownership.  "Tweed  was  not 
all  had,"  once  declared  the  late  Mayor  William  L. 
Strong.  'Tie  gave  us  the  l^oulevard,  the  annexed 
district,  streets,  parks,  docks,  schools  and  hospitals." 


[179] 


CHAPTER  XVI 

WILLIAM    M.    TWEED    IX    GREENWICH 

WILLIAM  M.  TWEED  was  a  prominent  char- 
acter in  Greenwich  for  a  number  of  years.  He 
took  no  part  in  the  affairs  of  the  town,  but  his  pres- 
ence was  felt,  with  an  effect  very  different  on  some 
than  others.  The  sensible,  well-bred  men  and  women 
of  the  place  greatly  regretted  his  presence.  They 
felt  that  the  town  could  not  grow  in  wealth  and 
character,  rendering  Greenwich  desirable  as  a  place 
of  residence  so  long  as  he  remained  to  make  it  no- 
torious. 

It  probably  was  true  in  those  years  that  outsiders 
gave  us  a  sneer  when  they  alluded  to  Greenwich  as 
the  home  of  Tweed  and  the  rendezvous  of  the  Ameri- 
cus  Club.  I>ut  to  the  boys  who  admired  his  checker- 
board team,  his  ponies  and  dog  carts,  he  was  an  object 
of  admiration.  If  they  ever  noticed  Tom  Xast's 
caricatures  in  Harper's  IVcckl//,  the  purpose  of  such 
things  was  probably  lost  and  as  for  reading  all  the 
papers  said  about  him.  detrimental  to  bis  reputation, 
they  hardly  took  tlie  pains.  He  was  a  Hving  hero, 
with  untold  wealth,  a  great  deal  of  which  he  dispensed 
locally  with  a  liberal  hand. 

It  is  not  certain  whetl^er  he  came  here  in  1800  or 

[180] 


WILLIA:\r  M.  TWEED 

1801.  The  first  kiiowlcdne  that  came  to  any  of  the 
villai^e  hoys  was  that  a  miniher  of  tents  were  pitched 
on  l^dimd  Ishmd  just  south  of  the  ohl  potato  ceUar. 
And  this  fact  left  us  in  eonsi(leral)le  uncertainty  as  to 
what  the  tents  meant.  It  was  the  talk  among  the 
boatmen  in  the  harbor  and  at  Ephraim  Read's  on  the 
steamboat  dock  that  tlie  tents  were  occupied  by  a 
club,  but  Tweed's  name  was  not  mentioned  and  it 
was  not  until  the  following  summer  that  the  name 
Americus  Clul)  was  heard. 

But  Tweed  had  visited  Greenwich  during  the  first 
summer  that  the  tents  appeared.  Certain  members 
of  the  club,  which  afterwards  became  tlie  Americus 
Club,  had  preceded  him.  This  club  was  both  social 
and  political,  being  composed  of  Republicans  and 
Democrats,  although  more  of  the  latter  prevailed 
than  the  former.  I  have  never  seen  a  list  of  the 
members  during  those  early  years  of  the  club's  exist- 
ence, but  I  have  a  complete  list  of  the  membership 
of  1871,  which  was  the  most  prosperous  year  in  the 
club's  history. 

It  was  (ieorge  E.  ^Nlann,  Charles  H.  Hall  and  P. 
B.  Van  Arsdale  who  one  day  hired  a  sailboat  at  City 
Island  and  sailed  up  the  Sound,  with  the  expectation 
of  i-eturning  before  sunset.  Hut  the  weather  sud- 
denly changed  after  they  had  left  Kxeculion  Eight 
far  astern  and  I'ather  than  go  about  in  the  stiff'  south- 
west breeze  that  was  blowing,  they  concluded  to  make 
a  harbor  for  the  lu'ght.  Accordingly,  they  found 
good  holding  ground    for  the  anchor  under  the   lee 

[181] 


OTHER  DAYS  IN  GREENWICH 

of  Round  Island  and  tlie  tender  took  them  ashore 
where  they  j^itched  a  tent  whicli  they  brought  from 
the  yacht. 

The  j)lace  was  entirely  new  to  them  and  they  did 
not  realize  its  beauty  until  the  following  mornino-. 
I  have  often  heard  Charles  H.  Hall  tell  of  that  next 
morning  when  the  sun  rose  and  revealed  all  the 
beauty  of  their  siu-roundings. 

Finch's  Island,  later  known  as  Tweed's  Island,  had 
a  beautiful  grove  of  trees  and  its  irregular  shores 


TWEED'S   ISLAND,   1871 

were  not  disfigured  by  sea  walls.  Captain's  Island 
lighthouse  was  a  short  wooden  affair  to  which  was 
attached  the  diminutive  home  of  the  keeper.  The 
same  little  house  is  now  used  as  a  summer  kitchen 
and  store  room,  the  present  stone  building  being 
erected  in  1868.     There  was  no  fog  horn  then. 

The  more  the  young  fellows  looked  around  the 
})etter  they  liked  the  place  and  it  was  not  until  after- 
noon that  they  sailed  for  New  York.  Hall,  who  was 
afterwards  secretary  of  the  Americus  Club,  was  one 
of  the  clerks  in  the  Tombs  Police  Court.  He  was 
always  a  Republican,  but  he  was  a  great  favorite  with 

[182] 


WILLIA^NI  M.  TWEED 

]Mr.  Tweed  and  as  long  as  Tweed's  influence  lasted 
Charlie  Hall  had  a  hicrative  place. 

]Mr.  Tweed  was  foreman  of  the  Big  Six  Volunteer 
Fire  Co.  with  lieachjuarters  in  an  engine  house  on  the 
Bowery.  All  tlie  nienihers  of  this  com])any  sooner 
or  later  were  niemhers  of  the  Aniericus  Club. 

Tweed  was  accustomed  to  sit  with  the  firemen 
around  the  engine  house  and  he  soon  learned  of  the 
trip  up  the  Sound  and  of  the  discovery  made  by  his 
three  mates.  Their  frecjuent  allusion  to  the  beauty 
of  the  spot  Anally  caught  Tweed's  attention,  with 
such  force  that  he  determined  to  investigate  for  him- 
self. 

Tweed  and  Hall  took  the  train  one  afternoon  con- 
sisting of  an  old  wo()d-l)urning  engine  and  yellow, 
gilt-trimmed  cars,  making  the  trij)  in  the  best  time 
of  those  days,  one  hour  and  twenty  minutes  from  27th 
Street.  They  called  on  Oliver  ^lead,  then  owner  of 
the  property,  and  secured  his  permission  to  camp  out 
on  Round  Island.  They  took  possession  a  few  days 
afterward  and  remained  to  the  end  of  the  season. 
They  had  two  or  three  sailboats  Avith  enormous  jibs 
and  when  they  were  not  bathing  on  the  l)each  or  Ash- 
ing or  sailing,  they  were  over  at  Rocky  Xeck. 

The  saloon  on  the  point  was  an  attraction  as  was 
Capt.  Abraham  Brinckerhoff 's  back  dooryard,  where 
they  exchanged  sea  tales  and  discussed  the  merits  of 
their  boats  by  the  hour.  Later  Captain  Brincker- 
holf  and  ^Ir.  Tweed  })ecame  very  warm  friends,  and 
the  latter  gave  the  Cai)tain  many  souvenirs  and  pic- 

[183] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 

tures,  that  constituted  an  interesting  asset  in  his  es- 
tate after  his  death.  Among  these  are  three  photo- 
graphs hy  A.  Gurney,  framed  in  black  wahmt  and 
hanging  at  the  present  time  in  my  office.  One  rep- 
resents Indian  Harbor  from  Tweed's  Ishmd,  includ- 
ing the  first  club  house  built  the  year  following  the 
first  camp  on  Round  Island. 
This    l)uilding    was    of    simple    architecture,    two 

stories  high,  with  a  broad 
veranda.  Painted  under 
the  peak  of  the  roof  in 
prominent  black  letters 
uere  tlie  words  "Ameri- 
cus  Club  of  New  York." 
It  must  have  been  about 
one  hundred  feet  in 
width.  On  the  first  floor 
was  a  spacious  reception 
room,  a  dinJng-room  and 
a  kitchen  in  the  rear. 
This  house  stood  on  the  extremity  of  the  point  nearly 
in  front  of  where  Elias  C.  Benedict's  house  now 
stands.  When  the  new  house,  which  afterwards  was 
known,  as  the  ^lorton  House  and  later  the  Indian 
Harbor  Hotel,  was  built,  the  old  house  was  removed 
to  a  point  in  "Chimney  Corner,"  now  occupied  by  Mr. 
Benedicts  boa! house.  Tliere  it  remained,  somewhat 
altered  and  enlarged  as  the  servants'  quarters  for  the 
ln)tel  until  1892  when  it  was  torn  down  witli  all  the 
other  buildings  on  the  Point. 

[184] 


C A PT.   B  P.  I X C ■  K  I'. Pi  H ( ) I •  V 
181()-1S94 


WILLIAM  M.  TWEED 

The  other  picture  represents  Mr.  Tweed  with  the 
nienihers  of  the  chih  fathered  about  liini  on  the  rocks 
at  the  west  side  of  the  house  and  on  the  veraiuhi;  two 
groups  of  "the  boys,"  as  Tweed  used  to  call  them.  It 
is  quite  easy  to  distinguish  their  features.  The  presi- 
dent of  the  club  is  dressed  in  a  frock  coat  buttoned 
close  about  him.  His  hat  is  off,  and  a  white  neck- 
tie is  beneath  his  chin.  By  his  side  stands  Charles 
H.  Hall,  somewhat  fop])ishly  dressed  in  white 
trousers  and  dark  coat.  John  and  Dick  Kimmons, 
great  tall  twins,  and  P.  1?.  Van  Arsdale  are  close  to 
George  E.  JNIann,  wlio  was  Conuiiodoi-e  in  charge  of 
the  club  fleet.  These  pictures  were  taken  August 
30,  1863. 

The  other  picture  that  Captain  Brinckerhoff  had, 
was  a  (juarter  size  India  ink  photograph  of  Mr. 
Tweed  by  the  artist  Brady,  a  famous  war-time  pho- 
tographer. This  picture  was  autograj)he(l  but  un- 
dated. It  originally  hung  in  the  parlor  of  the  new 
club  house,  and  went  into  the  possession  of  Capt. 
Brinckerhoff  when  the  club  broke  up.  John  W.  De- 
laney  of  this  place  now  owns  it. 

In  tlie  original  club  house  the  Americus  boys  found 
their  greatest  enjoyment.  It  was  more  like  a  camp. 
The  members  appeared  in  their  shirt  sleeves,  and 
lolled  about  on  the  rocks,  or  under  the  shade  of  the 
tall  oaks,  enjoying  in  the  most  unrestricted  fashion 
their  summer  outing.  Occasionally  a  visitor  from  the 
city  or  the  village  would  a])pear,  in  which  event  Sec- 

[187] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 

retary  Hall  would  do  the  honors,  Avith  an  old-fash- 
ioned cake  basket  and  a  little  wine. 

Sometimes  the  club  members,  in  a  body,  would 
saunter  up  to  the  village,  a  very  small  collection  of 
houses  then,  with  a  jjost  office  that  paid  the  postmaster 
only  $250  per  annum.  But  when  they  did  appear, 
with  all  sorts  of  pranks  played  upon  each  other  and 
with  jolly  songs  there  was  no  one  in  the  village  that 
did  not  realize  it,  especially  the  children. 

The  new  club  house  was  completed  in  1871  and 
stood  on  the  point  till  the  summer  of  1892.  It  was 
three  stories  high,  with  a  mansard  roof,  a  tall  tower, 
from  which  extended  east  and  north  two  wings,  termi- 
nating also  in  towers.  It  was  a  well-proportioned 
building,  not  architecturally  bad,  although  tlie  archi- 
tect, Gage  Inslee,  had  a  lingering  law  suit  in  our 
courts  in  the  endeavor  to  collect  his  fees.  It  occu- 
pied a  commanding  place  on  the  point  and.  painted 
white,  was  a  lan.dmark  for  many  miles  up  and  down 
the  Sound. 

The  summer  of  1872  was  the  first  season. of  its  oc- 
cu])ancy  after  its  full  completion.  It  had  been  fur- 
nislied  without  regard  to  expense.  The  carpet  in 
the  great  front  room  was  woven  abroad,  one  single 
piece,  a  hundred  feet  long,  with  tigers'  heads  in  the 
corners  and  the  center.  A  grinning  tiger  was  the 
emblem  of  the  club  and  Pottier  &  Stymus,  who  had 
big  contracts  for  city  furnishings,  put  the  tiger's  head 
upon  every  piece  of  furniture  wherever  it  was  pos- 
sible. 

[188] 


wit;lia:m  m.  tweed 

But  Mr.  Tweed  and  his  assoeiate.s  were  never  lia|)])y 
in  this  hiiihlin^-.  lie  had  a  <^rand  room  in  tlie  een- 
tral  tower,  and  Seeretary  IlalTs  suite  was  next,  hut 
in  187-3  the  revehitions  eanie  and  the  plaee  was  ahan- 
doned  as  a  ehil)  house.  It  was  said  that  $10.5, ()()()  was 
the  expense  of  running"  the  cluh  that  season. 

Tweed's   hest   enjoyment   of   liis   eluh    was   hefore 


THK    IWHKI)    HAMl    IIOISK 
Built   1S70 


1870.  He  was  considered,  in  (rreenwicli,  a  very  rieli 
man  and  yet  compared  with  tlie  owners  of  the  pres- 
ent-day fortunes.  Ills  circumstances  were  moderate. 
He  was  an  extremely  generous  man,  and  indeed  it 
has  many  times  heen  said  that  had  lie  not  heen  anx- 
ious to  enricli  every  one  of  his  ae(|uaintanees  no  no- 
tice would  have  heen  taken  of  his  irreL>ulai-ities.  'i'he 
amount  he  made  out  of  the  city  contracts  was  small 
com])ared  to  the  sums  which  went  to  his  friends;  and 
some  whom  he  sujjposed   were  his  friends  wei'e  (lis- 

[189] 


DANIEL   8.   MEAD,  Jr. 

1840-1888 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 

loyal  in  the  gloomy  fall  of  1873  when  his  arrest  and 

indictment   were  accomplished. 

No  man  from  Green- 
wich, however  linm])le, 
ever  went  to  tliat  little 
office  in  Dnane  Street  for 
lielp  that  he  did  not  get  it. 
If  INIr.  Tweed  heard  of  a 
threatened  foreclosure  he 
hoiight  the  mortgage  and 
collected  such  interest  as 
the  mortgagors  found  it 
convenient  to  pay.     The 

Land  Records  show  these  transactions  and  they  also 

show^  where  from  time  to  time,  jNIr.  Tweed  took  a  deed 

of  a  small  piece  of  pro])- 

erty,  which  it  was  said  the 

owners  were  unable  to  dis- 
pose of  to  any  one  else. 
Early  in  the  summer  of 

1870,  My.  Tweed  desired 

to    have    a    family    bath- 
house and  with  that  end  in 

view     he     purcliased     on 

June    8,     of    Daniel     S. 

]Mead,  three  hundred  and 

thirty-five  feet  of  land  on 

the  easterly  side  of  Rocky  Neck  harbor 

paid  was  $2,()()(). 

On  tlie  mud  Hats  south  of  the  causeway  to  William 

[190] 


^-^  ^-  P 


^f^W 


H.  W.  R.  HOYT 

State  Senator  18(59 
184;2-18<)4 


Tlie  price  he 


/  ; 


•'If-;/  :■ 


HKISTKI)    \V.    H.    HOYT 
As   .Iiidgf   of  tlie   liorougii   Court 


WITJJA^r  M.  TWEED 


J.  Smith's  (lock,  lit'  l)iiilt  an  octagonal  hath  house, 
which  was  daily  used  hy  his  family  at  hi<>h  tide.  The 
interior  contained  a  ])atliin<)-  ])()()1.  tlie  nuid  ha\  ini*' 
})een  removed,  and  replaced  hy  a  laru,e  (|iiantity  of 
fine  san(h  Around  tliis  central  pool  were  a  num- 
hei"  of  rooms  for  the  haih- 
ers,  and  it  afforded  a  safe 
and  secluded  hathing 
place,  approached  hy  a 
wooden  hridge  from  the 
shore.  ]Mr.  Tweed  sel- 
dom, if  ever,  visited  this 
house. 

After  the  stress  of  hard 
times,  on  Fehruai'y  8. 
187().  he  sold  this  water 
front  to  Daniel  S.  ]Mead, 
Jr..  a  son  of  the  original 
owner,  for  $1,000.  The 
sale  included  the  hath- 
house  which  is  said  to  have 
cost  more  than  a  thousand 
dollars.  The  house  was  suhse(|uently  moxed  to  the 
shoi'e  aiul  foi-  a  time  was  used  as  a  dwelling.  Later 
it  was  converted  into  an  otiice  for  the  Electric  Eight 
Co.  and  is  now  used  hy  that  company  as  a  stoi'e  room. 
The  outward  api^earance  of  tlie  huilding  and  its  coloi- 
remain  the  same,  with  the  possihle  exce])tion  of  an 
added  cu])ola.  I'ortions  of  this  land  which  cost 
Tweed  twenty-seven  dollars  a  IVout   foot,  have  since 

[193] 


H.   W.   1{.   HOYT 

Agv  of  -'() 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 

been  sold  for  about  two  hundred  dollars  per  foot. 
After  Mr.  Tweed  was  arrested  in  187'*i  the  late 
Col.  Heusted  W.  R.  Hoyt  was  his  local  counsel. 
William  L.  Ferris,  a  clerk  in  his  office,  made  frequent 
trips  to  Ludlow  Street  jail  in  those  days.  Tweed 
occupied  three  splendidly  furnished  rooms  on  the 
ground  floor.  The  first  was  a  reception  room  cov- 
ered with  velvet  carpet  and  supplied  with  luxurious 

couches  and  chairs.  Ad- 
joining was  the  business 
office  where  his  private 
secretary,  S.  Foster 
Dewey,  had  his  desk  and 
lieyond  that  was  ^Nlr. 
Tweed's  bedroom. 

Once       when      money 

seemed     to     be     a     little 

scarce  with  the  old  man, 

PHiLAXDEH  BUTTON       he    l)rought    out    a    large 

1812-1878  1  11  I' 

bundle  or  promissory 
notes,  given  ])y  oyster  men  and  mechanics,  but  the 
notes  were  of  no  value.  "Well,"  said  ^Ir.  Tweed, 
"they  had  a  value  once.  I  had  a  lot  of  pleasure  in 
taking  them,  when  the  money  was  needed." 

It  was  in  1865,  after  he  had  established  the  Ameri- 
cus  Clul)  in  their  first  liouse  at  Indian  Harbor  that 
JNIr.  Tweed  became  an  actual  resident  of  tlie  village, 
although  voting  in  Xew  York.  He  bought  of  Lillie 
A.  Hardenbrook  what  had  been  known  as  the  Phil- 
ander Button  place.     Mr.  Button,  who  was  the  priii- 

[194] 


wiLi.iA^M  :m.  tweed 


cipal  of  tlie  (Greenwich  Academy,  had  purchased  it 
April  1,  1848,  of  Alvan  ]Mead  for  $.3,-K)().  It  in- 
cluded eighty  acres,  now  a  part  of  jNIilhank.  lie 
hiiilt  a  modest  house  on  it  and  sold  the  building"  and 
forty  acres,  in  Januai-y,  18.59,  to  Mrs.  Ilardenhrook 
for  $15,000.  Slie  sold  it  to  JMr.  Tweed's  wife,  ^Nlary 
Jane  Tweed,  in  18C..>,  for  $18,000. 

^Nlr.  Tweed  remodeled 
and  eidarged  the  house 
and  Iniilt  a  $40,000  barn 
that  attracted  a  great 
deal  of  attention  locally 
as  well  as  in  New  York. 
The  Xcic  Vorl:  Siiii  sent 
up  a  reporter  who  de- 
scribed this  wonderful 
barn  and  its  contents, 
telling    how     the    horses 

were  standing  on  pleated 
straw.      The   barn    remained   in   use   till   about    1007 
when  it  was  torn  down. 

Mr.  Robert  AVilb'amson,  the  superintendent  at  Mil- 
bank,  has  told  me  that  it  was  no  easy  matter  to  ac- 
complish as  the  Ijuilding  was  braced  with  hackmatack 
braces  and  trimmed  witb  bhick  walnut  and  other  ex- 
j)ensivc  wood. 

Tweed  was  a  lover  of  horses  and  he  had  some  fine 
ones  in  his  barn.  His  checkerboard  four-in-hand 
team,  to  which  I  have  already  alluded,  cojisisted  of 
c;!al  black  and  milk  white  horses,  a  black  and  white 

[195] 


DH.   I..   P.  .lOXKS 

In  1884 

1846-1907 


OTHER  DAVS   IX  GREENWICH 

and  a  white  and  black  in  alternating  colors.  They 
were  driven  to  a  very  high  two-seated  depot  wagon. 
The  year  1867  was  remarkable  for  the  craze  for  high 
carriages. 

Tweed  occupied  the  back  seat  of  this  conveyance, 
with  its  enormously  high  springs.  Usually  his  son 
was  bv  his  side,  but  his  great  weight  of  nearly  three 

hundred  pounds  gave  the 
wagon  a  decided  list. 
He  generally  wore  a 
stove  pipe  hat  and  the 
closely  buttoned  frock 
coat  and  white  tie.  It 
was  this  rig  which  took 
him  to  the  railroad  sta- 
tion that  summer  morn- 
ing in  1870  when  he 
})ought  the  eighteen  acres 
of  Frederick  ]Mead. 
E.  Jay  Edwards  recently  told  this  story  in  The 
Evening  Mail,  but  I  allude  to  it  particularly  because 
in  some  quarters  it  has  been  doubted  and  the  asser- 
tion made  that  ]Mr.  ^lead  never  owned  land  east  of 
what  is  now  ^Nlilbank  Avenue. 

That  street  was  a  very  narrow  coimtry  road  in 
those  days,  called  Love  Eane.  It  was  never  digni- 
fied with  a  pro])er  street  name  until  Mrs.  Jeremiah 
Mil])ank  generously  put  the  Town  Clock  in  the  Con- 
gregational Church  steeple  and  then  Dr.  licander 
P.  Jones  had  it  changed  to  Milbank  Avenue. 


JOSEPH    G.    .MEKRITT 

18;2()-1«85 


WILLIA:sr  M.  TWKEIJ 

In  1870  r'redfi'ifk  ^lead  owiicd  (_'i<>liteen  acres 
directly  across  the  street  from  the  Congregational 
Church,  hounded  on  the  west  hy  Love  I^ane  and  on 
the  south  hy  Davis  I^ane.  now  Davis  Avenue.  There 
were  a  few  apple  trees  on  it  and  at  times  ]Mr.  Mead 
used  it  foi"  ])asture.  It  made  a  fine  romping  place 
for  the  Academy  hoys.  Down  at  the  soutli  end  was 
an  old  yellow  hai'ii.  tlie  front  doors  o^'  which  were 
locked  witli  a  padlock  much  larger  than  is  made  m 
these  days.  This  lock  made  a  fine  target,  although 
it  was  (|uite  a  long  time  hefore  any  one  of  tlie  hoys 
was  ahle  to  put  a  hullet  from  a  ])ist()l  through  the 
keyhole  of  that  lock.  It  was  finally  accomplished 
however  and  the  hack  of  the  lock  knocked  off'  hy  a 
man  now  very  well  known  in  New  ^^oi'k  City,  as  a 
mining  engineer. 

Tweed  had  long  wanted  this  land,  and  when  Mr. 
Mead  declined  to  [)ut  a  price  on  it.  Tweed  said, 
''\Wdl.  you  will  take  a  Tweed  })rice.  will  you  not!'" 
He  had  paid  for  several  small  places  ahout  town, 
anything  that  the  owners  demanded  and  when  the 
price  was  large,  as  it  always  was,  it  had  been  usual 
to  designate  it  as  a  "'Tweed  price."  Tweed  knew  this 
and  wlien  he  intimated  that  he  was  willing  to  ])ay  a 
"Tweed  ])iice."'  he  ex])ected  to  pay  more  than  the  land 
was  woi'th.  Ill  reply  Mr.  Mead  said.  "Why.  yes. 
I'll  sell  for  i^.3.3. ()()()."  which  was  at  least  four  times 
the  actual  value  of  the  land  at  that  time.  Hut  it  did 
not  feaze  Mr.  Tweed.  He  asked  Jose])]i  (i.  ]\Ierritt, 
the  ticket  agent  at  the  railroad  station,  for  pen  and  ink 

[11)7] 


OTHER  DAYS  IN  GREENWICH 

and  taking  out  a  pocket  check  book  he  wrote  a  check 
for  the  amount  to  Mr.  Mead's  order  and  asked  him  to 
send  him  a  deed  conveying  the  property  to  ^Nlary 
Jane  Tweed.  She  held  it  until  1879,  when  it  was 
included  with  all  the  rest  of  the  Tweed  place  in  the 
sale  to  Jeremiah  ^Nlilbank  for  $47,500. 

When  Tweed  bought  this  land  the  stone  fence  that 
enclosed  it  from  the  street  was  perhaps  a  century  old, 
and  somewhat  out  of  order.  He  replaced  it  with 
the  present  bhiestone  wall,  which  extends  from  the 
property  of  A.  Foster  Higgins  along  Putnam  Ave- 
nue, down  JNIilbank  Avenue  to  where  the  old  yellow 
barn  stood  at  the  top  of  the  hill  across  the  road  from 
the  cemetery. 

In  those  days  the  north  end  of  I.,ove  Lane  at  its 
junction  with  Putnam  Avenue  turned  with  an  angle 
to  tlie  west.  AVhen  it  was  known  that  ^Ir.  Tweed 
was  about  to  build  the  new  stone  wall,  ^Ir.  Solomon 
Mead,  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Burgesses,  called 
upon  him  to  see  how  much  he  would  ask  for  a  small 
angle  of  this  valuable  land  to  straighten  the  road. 
"Not  a  cent,  not  a  cent,"  said  ]\Ir,  Tweed.  "Take 
all  you  want;  just  Lave  your  surveyor  drive  the  stakes 
and  I  will  build  my  wall  according  to  his  lines."  And 
the  wall  stands  there  to-day  just  as  perfect  as  when 
^Ir.  Tweed  finished  it,  more  than  forty-two  years 
ago. 

Before  I  close  this  chapter  it  seems  best  to  give 
the  entire  roll  of  members  of  the  Americus  Club  in 

[198] 


WILLIAM  :SI.  TWEED 

1871.  Many  of  them  l)esi(les  Tweed  were  promi- 
nent and  will  he  rememhered  hv  the  older  (generation. 
Perhaps  in  no  other  way  will  this  list  be  permanently 
jn-eserved.  The  officers  ^^'ere  AVilliam  jNI.  Tweed, 
2.37  Broadway,  President;  Henry  Smith,  300  .Mul- 
berry St.,  Vice  President;  Charles  IL  Hall,  18.5  Madi- 
son St.,  Secretary:  George  E.  ^lann.  197  Mon- 
roe St.,  Captain:  John  \^aiiderbeck,  221  Christie  St.. 
Actuary.  Besides  the  officers  were  the  following 
members:  John  S.  Betts,  Francis  Vanderbeck,  John 
^IcGarigal,  P.  B,  Van  Arsdale,  William  Davison, 
Lewis  J.  Kirk,  Edward  A.  Davin,  Lawrence  Clancy, 
Francis  Kinney,  Edward  ^larrenner,  William  H. 
Schaffer,  William  B.  Dunley,  Joseph  Southworth, 
John  Scott,  Edward  J.  Shandley,  George  \V.  Butt, 
James  ]\I.  ^Nlacgregor,  William  I^.  Ely,  Christian  AV. 
Schaffer,  \Valter  Roche,  Peter  D.  Braisted.  Edward 
D.  Bassford,  Andrew  J.  (xarvey,  AVilliam  K. 
O'Brien,  George  \\\  Kosevelt,  Patrick  H.  Keenan, 
Joseph  Shannon,  James  I^.  Miller,  Terence  Farley, 
Sheridan  Shook,  AN'illiam  II.  Charlock,  John  T. 
Barnard,  James  AVatson,  Henry  H.  Huelat,  Edward 
Boyle,  William  P.  Stymus,  John  Pickford,  Jr., 
Owen  W.  Brennan,  Eugene  Durnin,  Charles  G. 
Coi'iiell.  John  J.  Ford,  Edwin  M.  Hagerty,  Edward 
Hogan,  Claudius  S.  (rrafulla.  Morgan  Jones,  Wes- 
ley S.  Vai"d.  John  T.  King,  Edward  Kearney,  Jose])h 
B.  ^"oung.  C'^rnelius  Corson.  Robert  M.  Taylor, 
Edward    Jones,    J()se])h    A.    Jackson.    Amaziah    D. 

[199] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 

Barber,  Charles  L.  FlemiiifJ',  Jaeob  Sharp,  Edward 
Cuddy,  James  O'Brien.  Joliu  Satterlee,  Andrew 
Bleakley,  Thomas  Donohoe,  ^Martin  B.  Brown, 
Thomas  E.  Tripler,  John  T.  ^NIcGowan,  John  :SIc.  B. 
Davidson,  James  H.  Ingersoll,  William  C.  Rogers, 
Sol.  Sayles,  Elbirt  A.  Woodward,  George  S.  ]Miller, 
John.  H.  Keyser,  William  C.  Dewey,  Daniel  Berrien, 
David  ^liller,  James  Ryan,  jNIichael  J.  Shandley, 
Isaac  J.  Oliver,  Charles  L.  I^awrence,  Henry  D. 
Felter,  John  F.  Chamberlain,  James  W.  Boyle, 
Chris  O'Connor,  Kruseman  van  Elten,  Daniel 
Winants,  Alexander  Frear,  James  Fisk,  Jr.,  Jay 
Gould.  Thomas  Kirkpatrick,  Joseph  G.  Harrison, 
Reeves  E.  Selmes,  Charles  E.  Loew,  Thomas  C. 
Fields.  George  H.  ^Mitchell,  John  Pyne,  James  J. 
Gumbleton.,  Thomas  H.  Ferris,  Thos.  J.  O'Donohue, 
James  E.  Jones.  John  Garvey,  James  L.  Harway, 
T.  Augustus  I'hillips,  John  ]M.  Carnochan,  ^Matthew 
T.  Brennan,  James  Barker,  ^Villiam  B.  Borrows, 
Henry  A.  Barnum,  Schayler  Halsey,  James  S.  "Wat- 
son. Xewell  Sturtevant.  James  W.  Collier,  Henry 
T.  Helmbold,  George  A.  Osgood,  John  Brice, 
Francis  ^NlcCabe,  John  H.  Harnett,  James  E.  Coul- 
ter, Gunning  S.  Bedford,  George  G.  Barnard,  An- 
drew Bleakley,  Jr.,  Augustus  Funk,  Peter  Trainer, 
William  Schirmer,  Adolph  E.  Georgi,  Joseph  Koch, 
William  Van  Tassell,  John  Pentland,  Thomas  Ca- 
nary, S.  Foster  Dewey,  Dennis  Burns,  James  ^Ic- 
Gowan,  George  G.  Wolf,  Frank  S.  E.  Beck,  Joseph 
D.  C.  Andrade,  John  1).  Welch,  Jr.,  Henry  ^M.  Wil- 

[200] 


WILLIA.M   M.  TWEED 

liaiiLs.  All)ert  II.  Wood.  John  W.  Olixcr,  James 
Ct.  Dinioiid.  CreortJ'e  H.  \^in  Hnmt.  Alex  W .  Ilarvey, 
Kic'liard  O'Cxoinian.  William  Hitc-hmaii,  Thomas  J. 
Creamer. 


[•201] 


CHAPTER  XVII 

LINWOOD THE    JOHN    KOMER 

rr^HE  place,  now  known  as  ^lilbank,  owned  by 
^  iNIrs.  A,  A.  Anderson,  was  the  home  of  Wilham 
"SI.  Tweed.  The  present  property  includes  much 
more  territory,  eighty  acres  being  its  extent,  when  it 
was  known  as  Linwood.  oNIr.  Tweed  was  very  proud 
of  the  place  and  lavished  money  on  it  without  stint. 
The  name  Einwood  seems  to  have  been  a  favorite 
of  his,  because  he  had  a  yacht  of  the  same  name  and 
the  word  was  prominent  on  his  stationery. 

Tlie  yacht  Limcood  was  a  modest  craft,  possibly  a 
catboat.  His  big  sailing  yacht,  a  jib  and  mainsail 
boat,  bore  the  name  of  his  wife,  Mary  Jane  Ticeed. 
These  boats,  and  indeed  all  the  pleasure  boats  in  the 
harbor  in  those  days,  would  not  compare  very  favor- 
ably with  the  boats  of  the  present  time.  When  it  was 
reported  that  Tweed  had  built  a  steam  yacht,  a  good 
deal  of  interest  was  manifest  along  the  water  front. 
There  may  have  been  steam  yachts  long  before,  but 
none  had  been  in  this  harbor,  at  least  not  to  remain 
any  length  of  time. 

When  she  came  steaming  in  from  Northport  where 
she  was  launched,  she  was  considered  a  wonder.  Dr. 
William   Schirmer,  Abraham   Brinckerhoff,   Simeon 

[202] 


I.IXWOOD— THE  JOHN  ROMKR 

Morrell  and  a  string'  of  the  cluh  iiieinl)C'i"s  were  on  the 
steamhoat  doek  as  she  came  to  an  anelioi'.  It  seemed 
to  me  that  none  of  tliem  was  very  enthnsiastie  ahont 
her. 

Pier  hull  was  sha{)ed  somewhat  like  an  ocean-going 
tuo-,  although  only  half  the  size  of  such  a  vessel. 
Her  graceful  mold  was  well-nigh  destroyed  in  ef- 
fect hy  the  hoxlike  structure  which  made  a  large, 
high,  and  elegantly  furnished  cal)in.  She  had  side 
wheels,  housed  in  like  those  of  an  old-fashioned  ferry- 
hoat,  and  her  name  which  was  displayed  on  the  pilot 
house  in  large  gilt  letters  was  that  of  the  owner. 
Tw^eed  took  a  great  deal  of  comfort  in  his  pioneer 
steam  yacht. 

In  those  days  races  among  the  oyster  hoats  "were 
common  and  regattas,  in  which  those  l)oats  figured, 
were  organized  several  times  during  the  season. 
They  were  very  fast  jih  and  mainsail  hoats  and  often 
stowed  helow  were  halloon  jihs  and  topsails  that  on 
occasion  were  run  up  to  their  places,  when  some 
other  similar  ci'aft  was  showing  a  disjjosition  to  take 
the  lead.  There  were  no  steamers  then  for  oyster 
dredging  and  among  the  owners  of  these  sailing  ves- 
sels there  was  much  rivalry.  It  was  not  limited  to 
(xreenwich  oystermen.  for  these  graceful  little  ves- 
sels came  to  join  in  the  regattas  from  across  the 
Sound.  They  came  also  from  Xorwalk,  Five  ^lile 
River  and  ^Nlamaroneck. 

Nothing  pleased  ^Ir.  Tweed  hetter  than  to  witness 
a  race  hetween  these  hoats,  and  he  always  tendered 

[203] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREEXWICH 

his  steam  vaeht  for  the  use  of  the  iudffes  and  the 
press.  Of  course  that  meant  an  elaborate  spread  in 
the  cabin,  with  a  lot  of  guests  always  eager  to  quench 
theii"  thirst.  While  the  yacht  was  homely,  she  was 
very  comfortable,  for  the  saloon  was  laroe,  hiffh  and 
square.  The  table  in  the  center  on  such  occasions 
was  loaded  with  all  kinds  of  good  things. 

To  a  hungry  youth — and  what  youth  is  not  in- 
variably hungry — these  yacht  races  were  memorable 
events.  Plen.ty  to  see  and  plenty  to  eat.  what  ex- 
periences were  they!  And  liow  well  I  recall  the  al- 
most affectionate  way  in  which  ]Mr.  Tweed  would  put 
his  pudgy  hand  on  my  shoulder,  with  the  remark, 
"Boy,  did  you  get  enough  down  below?  Better  go 
down,  and  get  another  bird  or  a  plate  of  whitebait." 
Of  course  he  had  no  interest  in  me,  except  such  feel- 
ings as  any  host  possesses  for  a  guest,  but  beyond 
that  was  his  intense  desire  to  stand  well  with  the  press. 
In  a  mixed  crowd  his  first  thought  was  for  the  news- 
paper representatives. 

He  had  a  great  admiration  and  affection  for 
Greenwich.  He  often  steamed  the  yacht  down  to 
Jones'  Stone  and  then  back  to  the  mouth  of  the  Cos 
Col)  harbor,  and  back  again  to  Byram,  all  the  while 
watchiii"'  and  commentiu""  on  the  beautv  of  the  shore. 

One  day  he  asked  me  to  bring  my  camp  stool  near 
the  capacious  chair  he  occupied  in  the  bow,  and  with 
a  wave  of  his  hand  he  directed  my  attention  to  all 
the  wooded  shore  from  Byram  Point  to  Cos  Cob,  re- 
marking: 'T  shall  not  live  to  see  the  day,  but  possibly 

[204] 


I.IXWOOD— THE  JOIIX  K():MK1{ 

yen.  and  crrtainly  yoiii-  {•hildi-fiu  will  st-e  all  this 
land  ocfiipied  hy  the  fine  estates  of  New  ^^)^k  hnsi- 
iie.ss  men.  In  my  judgiiient  Ochre  Point  at  Xew- 
])()rt  is  not  as  favoi-ahle  for  phices  of  residence  as 
1^  ield  Point  and  Nelson  Push's  fai-m."  Tlie  latter 
is  now  Helle  Haven  Park.  Perhaps  I  looked  in- 
credulons.  for  he  at  once  repeated  the  prophecy  with 
emphasis  and  with  just  the  susj)icion  of  a  sha(lo\\  on 
his  face  he  added:  ■'When  I  am  dead,  say  twenty- 
f\xv  years  from  now.  I  A\ish  yon  wonld  come  ont  here 
and  see  how  near  1  have  hit  it."  lie  ne\  er  lived  to 
see  his  (h'cam  realized,  hnt  it  came  trne  in  less  time 
than  he  allotted. 

His  <>reat  hohhy  dni-in^'  tliose  days  was  a  daily 
steamhoat  to  New  York,  He  supposed  that  sucli  an 
enter})rise  wonld  yield  a  large  pecuniary  profit,  and 
the  suhject  was  fre(]uently  on  liis  lips,  when  aboard 
the  yacht.  He  would  call  a  few  members  of  the  club 
ahont  him.  and  ask  theii"  opinion,  none  of  ^^h()m  knew 
anything  moi-e  ahont  it  than  he:  yet  he  wonld  seek 
from  them  information  on  the  cost  of  coal,  the  prob- 
able number  of  ])assengers  and  the  amount  of  freight 
likely  to  lie  carried.  He  exercised  his  own  judgment 
finally,  hnt  he  was  led  astray  in  this  instance  by  his 
overweening  desii'e  to  inci'case  the  pojjnlai'itv  and  the 
con\enience  of  Indian  Harbor. 

W  bile  he  could  tignre  out  in  a  moment  the  prob- 
able majority  of  a  certain  candidate  in  a  city  elec- 
tion, lie  had  no  idea  of  the  possibility  of  the  success 
()!•  failure  of  such  an  enleri)i'isc.      Indeed,  it   is  prob- 

[•205] 


OTHER  DAYS  IN  GREENWICH 


able  that  he  h.ad  no  anxiety  on  that  point,  provided 
he  accomplished  his  purpose. 

One  day  as  we  were  sitting  on  the  wide  cane  settee 
back  of  the  j^ilot  house  Mr.  Tweed  appealed  to  Capt, 
Abe  Brinckerhoff  and  I  recall  how  the  latter  twisted 
the  tobacco  under  his  tongue  and  drawled  out:  "She 
won't  earn  the  purser's  salary,  ^Ir.  Tweed."     The 

latter  looked  quite  crest- 
fallen, and  said,  "Do  you 
think  so,  Abe?"  And 
that  Avas  all  he  did  say 
for  fully  ten  minutes  ex- 
cept to  order  up  some 
seltzer. 

Rut  as  usual  ]Mr. 
Tweed  had  his  way,  and 
he  had  a  steamlioat,  the 
])eautiful  John  Romcr. 
She  was  a  very  fast  boat 
and  slie  did  not  end  her  career  until  tlie  middle 
eighties  when  she  was  on  the  line  between  Boston, 
Hingham,  Hull  and  Nantasket. 

He  talked  about  his  plans,  as  they  matured.  He 
was  very  particular  about  a  bartender,  and  eventu- 
ally he  selected  just  the  right  man  as  well  as  excellent 
officers  for  tlie  steamer. 

The  Homer  came  from  Wilmington,  Del.  She 
was  l)uilt  by  the  famous  firm  of  Harlan  &:,  Hollings- 
worth  and  was  sup])lied  with  Alhiire  engines.  The 
Allaire  Engine  Co.  built  most  of  the  marine  engines 

[20(>] 


F.    SECOR 
1809-1901 


LINWOOD— THE  JOIIX  ROSIER 

installed  inunediately  after  tlie  war.  The  president 
of  the  Allaire  Co.  was  Theodoeiiis  F.  Seeor,  who 
resided  on  Lake  xV venue  for  many  years  and  died 
April  27,  1901,  at  the  age  of  02.  His  widow  still 
lives  here. 

The  RoDwr's  furnishino's  were  luxurious  and  her 
s])eed  was  greater  than  most  hoats  of  her  length  and 
tonnage.  The  ])  r  i  c  e 
asked  was  $.)(),()()().  hut 
her  owners  were  pecun- 
iarily emharrassed  and 
31  r.  Tweed  got  her  for 
$8.5,()()() — a     great     bar-  ^^ 

gain.  He  was  never 
known    to    haggle    at    a  ^P^IV**^^* 

price,  and  doubtless  some 
of  the  officers  of  the  cor- 
poration   known    as    the         capt.  thomas  .mayo 

^  .    ,  1819-188T 

Cxreenwach  &  Rye  Steam- 
boat Co.  should  have  the  credit  of  making  the  pur- 
chase. 

This  corporation  ^vas  formed  early  in  1800.  Ca])t. 
Thomas  ]\layo,  whose  daughters  still  reside  here,  was 
elected  its  president,  and  Sanford  31ead,  secretary. 
Subsequently  Philander  Rutton,  then  ])rincipal  of 
the  Academy,  occupied  the  position  of  ])resident. 
The  capital  stock  was  $75,()()().  of  which  $7(),0()()  was 
])aid  in,  one-half  of  which  went  for  the  purchase  of 
the  lioincr.  Mr.  Tweed  held  200  shares,  par  value 
$100,  and  members  of  the  Americus  Club  held  a  suffi- 

[207] 


"^    / 


OTHER  DAYS  IN  GREENWICH 

cient  number,  with  "Sir.  Tweed,  to  control  the  com- 
pany. The  balance  of  the  stock  was  held  in  small 
lots  in  Greenwich  and  Port  Chester. 

The  boat  was  decidedly  popular,  as  is  evident  from 
the  fact  that  her  gross  earninos  the  first  year  were 
$21,7(33.15,  expenses  $21, 417. 28,  leaving  a  net  bal- 
ance of  only  $345.87.     This  small  amount  was  kept 

as  a  reserve  fund  to  dis- 
appear the  following  year 
in  financial  chaos.  The 
summer  of  1867  w^as  the 
last  of  the  Homer  in 
these  waters. 

In  passing,  I  must  re- 
call two  of  her  ofi^cers — 
Captain  Stephen  G. 
White  and  the  pilot, 
Hilly  ^Vitherwax.  Capt. 
White  had  had  experi- 
ence as  a  steamboat  captain  on  the  Pacific  Coast,  and 
he  made  an  efficient  and  popular  commander.  He 
was  a  round,  jolly  man  with  a  merry  laugh,  the  ring 
of  which  I  well  remember.  His  son,  Warren  P. 
White,  is  a  resident  of  Greenwich,  as  is  also  his  daugh- 
ter, JNIrs.  Lucy  INI.  Delano. 

Pilot  Witherwax  had  been  commander  and  ]Kirt 
owner  of  a  sky-sail  yard  fiver,  that  had  successfully 
rounded  Cape  Horn  so  many  times  that  he  was  worth 
$50, ()()() — a  snug  fortune  for  those  days.  He  h.ad  re- 
tired from  the  sea  wlien  ]Mr.  Tweed  met  him  and  he 

[208] 


SANFOIiD  MEAD 

1803-18T3 


LINWOOD— THE  JOIIX  ROM  Eli 


consented  to  take  a  position  on  the  Uoincr  as  a  I'aNor 
to  ^Jr.  Tweed,  He  was  a  ty})ieal  sailor.  His 
s(]uare  hnilt  form  luid  the  power  of  an  ox.  while  liis 
sphinx-like  face  recalls  the  former  Vice-President 
of  the  United  States,  AVilliam  A.  Wheeler. 

To  make  the  hoat  ])o])- 
ulai-.  the  company  re- 
sorted to  every  legitimate 
means  to  introdnce  her 
to  the  puhhc.  With  this 
end  in  view  a  yrand 
Fourth  of  July  excursion 
to  Xew  Haven,  with 
Dodwortli's  l)an(l  in  at- 
tendance, was  announced 
in  1S(>7.  Tile  proposed 
trip  was  the  talk  of  the 
town,  and  when  on  that 
beautiful  summer  morn- 
in<>',  the  order  was  <>iven 
to  cast  off'  the  lines,  the 
boat  was  loaded  with  a 
])arty  decidedly  nn"scellaneous  in  its  make-u]),  hut  evi- 
dently happy  and  bent  on  havin<>-  a  good  time. 

As  we  ])assed  Red  Rock.  I  remember  well  how 
Capt.  White  stood  forward.  chewiiiL'-  an  uidiL>hted 
cigar  and  congratulating  everybo^ly  on  the  beauty 
of  the  morning.  But  Rillv  Witherwax  was  umisu- 
ally  glum  and  once  as  1  met  him  aside  from  the 
crowd,  he  significantly  remarked,  "Capt.  White  likes 

[209] 


STKFHKX    ('..    WHITK, 

18;2()-1SSI 


OTHER  DAYS  IN  GREENWICH 

this  weather,  but  I  don't.  Look  out  for  a  blow  when 
the  tide  turns."  I  inquired  why  he  thought  so,  and 
he  rephed,  "Mares'  tails  to  the  s'uth'ard!"  and  diving 
into  the  pilot  house  closed  the  door. 

Evervthino"  went  well  until  after  we  left  New 
Haven  to  return.  I  had  forgotten  Pilot  Wither- 
wax's  remark  about  the  mares'  tails,  when  I  suddenly 
became  conscious  of  the  fact  that  the  wind  was  fresh- 
ening and  that  the  sky  was  becoming  overcast. 
Ladies  were  sending  for  extra  wraps  and  there  was 
a  general  disposition  to  seek  the  seclusion  of  the 
cabin.  Inside,  the  roll  of  the  vessel  became  more  per- 
ceptible; a  general  complaint  concerning  the  close- 
ness of  the  atmosphere  w^as  heard  and  then  followed 
a  stampede  for  the  deck.  The  storm  had  arisen  with 
great  suddenness,  and  as  the  passengers  came  out, 
many  of  them  were  drenched  with  flying  spray.  Tlie 
boat  rolled  terribly,  and  the  noise  of  the  guards  strik- 
ing the  water  as  she  lay  in  the  trough  of  the  sea 
struck  terror  to  the  now  thoroughly  frightened  ex- 
cursionists. Two  lunch  counters  and  a  liberally 
stocked  bar  had  been  well  patronized  all  the  morn- 
ing. In  the  tumult  of  the  angry  elements  there 
seemed  to  be  universal  nausea  attributable  in  part  to 
the  choppy  sea  and  in  ])art  to  the  conviviality  of  the 
forenoon. 

Under  the  circumstances  two  hundred  and  flfty 
people  found  it  necessary  to  visit  the  boat's  rail  and 
as  the  wind  was  blowing  a  gale,  broadside  on.  the  sea- 

[210] 


LIXWOOD— THE  JOHX  RO.MER 

sick  excursionists  foniid  the  weatlier  rail  unsatisfac- 
tory. 

They  all,  therefore,  with  one  accord  sought  the  lee 
rail  and  there  endeavored  to  relieve  their  suffering's. 
As  the  steamer  was  three  decks  higli.  two-thirds  of 
the  passengers  suffered  intensely  from  their  h)cation 
and  the  only  clean  liats.  coats  and  honnets  were  in 
possession  of  those  who  occupied  the  upper  deck.  No 
sicker,  sorrier  or  more  dejected  set  of  human  beings 
ever  landed  in  Port  Chester  tlian  those  who,  late  that 
night,  went  ashore  from  the  Ronicr.  It  was  deemed 
unsafe  to  land  at  Greenwich. 

^Nlany  of  the  present  generation  have  never  heard 
of  this  sea  tri])  })ecause  those  of  the  older  generation 
hate  to  think  of  it.  and  never  speak  of  it. 

There  is  one  otlier  incident  in  connection  with  the 
Romcr  that  I  cannot  omit.  Greenwich  has  always 
been  interested  in  temperance,  if  one  may  judge 
from  the  societies  and  legions  which  have  usually  ex- 
isted here.  In  18()()  that  famous  but  erratic  man, 
William  IT.  II.  Murray,  was  the  preacher  at  the  Sec- 
ond Congregational  Church.  He  was  a  strong  ad- 
vocate of  temperance.  lie  rejoiced  over  the  new 
steamboat,  but  when  he  was  told  that  a  bar  was  to  be 
maintained  lie  predicted  the  failure  of  tlie  enter])rise. 
It  was  his  wish  that  tlie  boat  should  l)c  run  without 
a  bar.  and  in  a  (juiet  way  he  made  every  effort  to 
have  his  wisli  c()m])lied  with.  The  stock  list  showed 
a  large  numl)er  of  Congregationalists  who  doubtless 
would  have  been  glad  to  have  no  bar,  but  the  Tweed 

[•211] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  CxREEXWICH 

stock  controlled  and  the  l)ar  was  an  established  fact. 
Sanford  jNIead  made  every  endeavor  to  keep  out  the 
bar. 

]\lr.  ^Iiirray,  however,  was  not  satisfied.  He  be- 
lieved that  it  was  his  duty  to  preach  against  that  bar, 
even  if  some  of  the  company's  directors  did  occupy 
nrominent  pews  in  his  church.  Accordingly,  the 
sermon  was  announced  a  week  in  advance  and  the 
church  was  crowded.  I  cannot  recall  the  text,  nor 
can  I  remember  much  about  the  sermon.  There  was. 
however,  one  exclamation,  from  the  preacher  that  I 
have  never  forgotten.  He  alluded  to  the  fact  that 
excuses  had  l)een  made  for  the  existence  of  the  bar 
and  tlat  one  of  the  officers  had  informed  him  that  it 
was  ''out  of  sight;  way  down  below."  Then  shaking 
his  l)lack  locks  from  his  forehead  in  that  tragic  way 
so  common  to  him  he  added:  ''And,  brethren,  so 
is  hell,  way  down  below!"  Four  years  after  that 
memorable  sermon  was  delivered,  ^Murray  was  the 
pastor  of  the  Park  Street  Church,  in  Boston., 
and  the  John  Bonier  was  running  from  Rowe's 
Wharf  in  the  same  city  to  Hull,  Hingham  and 
Xantasket. 

As  I  have  said,  the  Roincr  was  a  boat  of  great 
speed  and  no  steamer  of  her  size  going  out  of  the 
port  of  Xew  York  could  overhaul  her.  The  Sca- 
tcaultdh'd  was  a  fine  boat  running  to  Sea  Cliff.  She 
was  twice  tlie  size  of  the  liomcr,  with  engines  of  enor- 
mous power  for  a  small  boat,  and  ecjually  well 
manned  and  officered.      She  represented  the  wealth  of 

[212] 


LixwooD— THE  joiix  ro:mer 

Roslyii  and  Sea  Cliff'  and  was  laiiiiclicd  caidy  in  18()(>. 
The  claim  was  freely  made  tliaf  her  speed  would  ex- 
ceed that  of  any  other  steamer  on  the  Sound. 

The  Homer  had  always  heen  ahfe  to  take  the  lead 
on  the  run  from  lier  hertli  to  Execution  l^ight,  and 
it  strucfv  Ca])t.  White  and  Rilly  ^Vithe^wax  rather 
hard  to  think  of  iiivinu,'  up  their  laurels.  Vor  a  time 
they  managed  to  keep  out  of  the  Scd-cdiiludid's  way. 
hut  finally  on  the  second  day  of  June.  18()7.  it  was 
apparent  to  all  on  hoard  that  a  race  was  inevitahle. 
One  of  the  officers  of  the  lioincr  gave  me  this  account 
of  the  affair: 

"We  had  three-(iuai-ters  of  an  h()ur\  start  of  the 
''ScdicanJtdli'a.  hut  as  we  approached  Throgg's  Neck 
"we  could  see  her  astern,  gaining  rapidly.  Pilot 
"Witherwax  was  at  th.e  wheel  and  C^ai)t.  White 
"stood  aft  with  a  pair  of  glasses  watching  the  on- 
"coming  steamer.  Every  two  or  three  minutes  With- 
"erwax  would  I'ing  for  more  steam,  till  at  last  John 
"l)ari-ah.  the  engineer,  called  through  the  speaking 
"tuhe  that  he  was  doing  all  he  could  and  that  it  was 
"useless  to  keep  ringing,  as  the  throttle  was  wide  ()])en 
"and  there  was  no  more  steam  to  he  had.  'Well, 
"make  more  steam.'  was  Witherwax's  reply,  in  re- 
"sponse  to  which  I  heard  the  engineer  gi'oan  as 
'"though  the  task  imposed  u])on  him  was  hopeless. 

"It  was  evident  that  the  pilot  intended,  if  possihle. 
"to  keej)  the  lead  until  he  could  reach  the  narrow 
"channel  hetween  Hiker's  Island  and  Harrow's  l^oint, 
"for  bevond  that  he  thought  that  once  ahead  of  the 

[213] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 

"Seawanhaka  he  could  maintain  his  position  for 
"the  halance  of  the  trip.  The  intense  interest  in  the 
"pilot  house  and  the  engine  room  amounted  to  ex- 
"citement  among  the  passengers  and  many  bets  were 
"made  on  the  result.  Some  of  the  Americus  Club 
"boys  on  the  quarter  deck  became  hilarious  and  the 
"secretary  of  the  Steamboat  Co.,  who  happened  to  be 
"aboard,  went  to  the  bartender  and  said,  'Now 
"Henry,  I  wish  you  would  go  a  little  easy  with  the 
"boys.'  'Why,  what  do  you  mean,  ]Mr.  ^lead?'  said 
"Henry.  'Well,  I  mean,'  was  the  reply,  'that  while 
"this  race  lasts  you  must  give  the  boys  sarsaparilla 
"when  they  ask  for  whisky,  and  if  they  call  for 
"brandy,  make  it  a  point  to  serve  seltzer.'  Henry 
"smiled  at  the  idea  of  thus  fooling  an  Americus  Club 
"man  but  nevertheless  he  promised  to  tr}"  it. 

"But  to  return  to  the  race.  Pilot  Witherwax  had 
"calculated  correctly,  for  he  succeeded  in  getting 
"abreast  of  North  Brother  Island  before  the  Scaican- 
''haka  began  to  lap  over  the  liomcr.  At  this  point 
"she  was  slipping  by  at  the  rate  of  about  ten  feet  a 
"minute,  guard  to  guard,  with  the  liomcr  so  close 
"that  conversation  was  easily  carried  on  between  the 
"two  vessels. 

"The  passengers  and  crews  of  both  boats  were  now 
"in  a  fever  heat  of  excitement. 

"I  think  I  never  saw  such  a  crazy  lot  as  yelled  at 
"each  other  across  the  span  of  a  dozen  feet  between 
"the  two  boats.  ^Vomen  shook  their  parasols  in  the 
"ail"  and  squealed  like  a  flock  of  geese. 

[214] 


LINWOOD— THE  JOHN   liOMER 

"Billy  Witherwax's  face  was  as  stem  as  an  lii- 
'"(liaiTs.  Again  he  "-ave  the  hell  for  more  steam  only 
"to  he  disappointed.  Every  minnte  made  a  decided 
"difference  in  the  relative  position  of  the  contending 
"steamers,  and  it  was  i)lain  that  something  more  mnst 
"he  done,  and  without  delay,  or  the  Roiiicr  would  be 
"left  behind. 

"Witherwax  again  sought  the  tube  and  yelled: 
"  'Give  her  more  tire.  If  you  can't  find  anything 
"else  thrown  Pat.  Donnelly  into  the  furnace.  We 
"must  have  more  fire,  and  I  guess  he'll  ])nrn.' 

'•Patrick  Donnelly,  only  recently  deceased,  then 
"occupied  a  responsible  position  on  the  quarter  deck 
"of  the  Bomcr.  He  knew  all  about  the  freight  and 
'iiow  it  was  stowed.  He  knew  exactly  where  to  put 
'iiis  hand  on  a  tub  of  Abe  Acker's  lard  and  when 
"he  heard  the  order  repeated  by  the  engineer,  rather 
"than  be  sacrificed  himself,  he  produced  the  lard. 
"The  fireman  seized  it  and  flung  it  on  the  coals.  The 
"steamer  leaped  ahead  like  a  sailboat  in  a  scpiall. 
"Black  smoke  belched  from  the  stack.  She  walked 
"by  the  Seatcanhal'a  as  the  Pih/riin  will  pass  the 
"Sarah  Thorp. 

"Witherwax's  triumph  was  complete  and  he  held 
"the  Homer  on  her  course  in  an  undisputed  lead  all 
"the  way  to  Twenty-third  Street." 

The  ScaicaiiJiah'a  never  bothered  the  Noincr  again, 
hut  I  never  pass  the  "sunken  meadows"  and  see  the 
o-hostlv  hop-  frame  of  the  lost  Scaicaiihaka  rising 
amid  the  swaving  drift  of  sedge  grass  that  1  do  not 

[215] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 

recall  the  fact  that  the  2nd  June,  1880,  when  she  was 
driven  onto  those  meadows,  wreathed  in  flames,  was 
the  thirteenth  anniversary  of  her  famous  race  with 
the  John  Foincr. 


[216] 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

THE    TWEED    FAMILY 

THE  members  of  ]Mr.  Tweed's  family  were  well 
known  about  the  village.  Wliile  many  of  the  vil- 
lagers treated  them  witli  something  like  an  air  of  awe, 
they  mixed  in  (]uite  well  and  those  who  knew  tliem 
liked  them. 

The  oldest  son  was  W^illiam  M.,  Jr.  We  knew 
him  as  "Hilly"  and  he  was  (juite  intimate  \vith  Henry 
:M.  FitzC;erald  and  Stephen  (;.   White. 

Billy  Tweed  was  a  fine-looking  young  man  in  those 
days.  He  was  tall  and  straight,  earried  himself 
well,  and  wore  13undreary  whiskers.  If  a  man  eould 
raise  a  good  pair  of  "side-boards,"  as  sueh  whiskers 
were  called,  he  was  all  right.  And  this  Hilly  had 
done  to  perfection. 

It  is  somewhat  singular  that  William  ^I.  Tweed, 
Jr..  jnari'ied  a  (rreenwicl]  gii'l  whom  he  met  in  Xew 
^'()rk  City.  Her  father  and  many  eai'lier  genera- 
tions were  natives  of  the  town  and  lived  at  Davis 
Landing.  Her  fatlier  was  Silas  I)a\  is.  who  for 
many  years  was  engaged  in  the  Hour  business  in  Xew 
^'ork  under  the  firm  name  of  Davis  \:  Henson.  He 
had  made  a  large  fortune  and  his  daughter  had  all 
the  advantages  afforded  by  wealth.  She  A\as  then  a 
beautiful  gii'l  of  fine  character  and  she  is  still  a  hand- 

[217] 


OTHER  DAYS  IN  GREENWICH 

some  woman,  upon  whom  the  hand  of  time  has  rested 
lightly.     Her  husband  died  about  1908. 

The  next  son  was  Richard.  He  had  a  very  fast 
black  horse  that  he  drove  at  top  speed  from  ]Maple 
Avenue  to  Putnam  Hill.  It  was  his  habit  to  do  this 
nearl^^  every  day,  till  the  warden  of  the  Borough  put 
a  stop  to  it  by  telling  Dick  that  if  he  wanted  to  trot 
his  horse,  he  had  better  enter  him  at  Jerome  Park. 
Ricliard  went  to  Europe  in  1879,  subsequently  mar- 
ried the  widow  of  liis  brother  Charles  and  shortly 
afterward  died  in  Paris. 

There  were  two  daughters  whose  names  I  do  not 
recall.  They  married  two  wealthy  brothers  by  the 
name  of  ]McGuinness  who  resided  in  New  Orleans 
and  there  they  went  to  live  about  1871.  I  am  told 
that  one  is  still  living  and  moves  in  the  best  circles 
of  that  aristocratic  southern  city. 

Josephine  came  next.  She  was  a  young  lady  of 
oreat  beauty,  a  brunette,  and  was  about  eighteen 
years  old  when  her  father  was  at  the  height  of  his 
glory.  She  drove  a  pair  of  beautifully  matched, 
high-spirited  black  horses.  It  was  certainly  a  pleas- 
ure to  observe  the  skill  and  dignity  with  wliich  she 
would  rein  the  team  up  in  front  of  the  post  office  for 
the  afternoon  mail.  She  married  a  wealthy  New 
Yorker  by  the  name  of  Frederick  Douglas  and  in 
1898  they  were  living  on  Staten  Island. 

Jennie  was  a  school  girl  in  1865  and  was  thus  well 
known  by  the  school  children  of  that  period.  Hers 
was  a  short  life,  as  she  died  before  she  was  twenty. 

[218] 


TITE  TWEED  FAMIEY 

Charlie  was  a  ronipiiiL*-  hoy  in  liis  early  teens,  with 
a  lively  ])()iiy  and  witlioiit  imich  time  for  his  hooks. 
School  had  little  attraction  for  him  and  at  one  time  he 
had  a  tutor.  Had  he  lived  in  these  (hiys  lie  would 
have  possessed  a  hi<^h  power  motor  car,  if  not  a  Hy- 
ing macliine.  Kut  everybody  hked  Charlie  Tweed 
and  all  were  saddened  at  the  news  of  his  deatli  some 
years  after  Lin  wood  was  sold. 

George  was  a  baby  in  18().5.  Of  liim  I  never  had  a 
very  intimate  knowledge,  as  he  died  in  early  youth. 

After  Tweed's  troubles  began  in  187'J,  the  glory 
of  Linwood  began  to  wane.  The  checkerboard  team 
was  seen  no  more  and  many  of  the  other  fine  horses 
were  sold,  ]\Ioney  ceased  to  How  in,  and  after  the 
incarceration  in  Ludlow  Street  jail,  the  demands  that 
were  made  upon  Tweed  by  his  lawyers  for  a  defense 
fund  were  large.  John  (xraham,  bewigged  and  al- 
ways wearing  kid  gloves  with  the  fingers  amputated, 
was  liis  chief  counsel.  EHhu  Root,  now  so  well 
known,  was  at  the  head  of  a  younger  coterie  of  men 
who  woi-ked  up  the  details  of  the  defense  that  did  not 
succeed. 

All  this  re(iuire(l  large  sums  of  money  and  from 
time  to  time  various  tilings  were  sold  at  Linwood. 
The  greenhouses  were  stripped  of  rare  plants  and 
many  articles  that  had  special  value  because  of  their 
association,  were  quietly  disposed  of  for  a  substantial 
consideration.  When  Crreenwich  Avenue  was  re- 
cently widened  at  its  lower  end.  on  wjiat  was  foi-merlv 
the  Thomas  Ritcli  property,  1  saw  a  couple  of  oiMuite 

[210] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 


iron  lamp  posts  pulled  down  that  formerly  stood  in 
front  of  the  house  at  IJnwood.  There  were  many 
other  things  that  found  their  way  into  the  possession 
of  Greenwieh  people  who  afterwards  would  some- 
times covertly  allude  to  their  orio-in. 

By  this  it  must  not  he  inferred  that  the  family  was 
impoverished.     Mrs.  Tweed  owned  valuahle  real  es- 

^  tate  here  and  in  New 
York  City  and  it  was 
prohahly  only  because  of 
a  desire  to  limit  expenses 
and  prepare  for  the  final 
disposition  of  Linwood 
that  she  made  such  dis- 
position of  her  person- 
alty. The  property  was 
listed  with  many  real  es- 
FRAXK  8HKPARD  tate     ageucies     in     Xew 

I"  i«''9  York      City      and      was 

brought  to  the  attention  of  many  local  capitalists,  but 
it  remained  unsold  year  after  year,  when  the  price 
asked  for  eighty  acres  was  only  fifty  thousand  dollars. 
Finally  in  the  fall  of  1878  a  syndicate  was  formed 
consisting  of  A.  Foster  Higgins,  Solomon  Mead, 
Frank  Shepaid,  pi'incipal  of  the  Academy,  and  one 
or  two  others,  wliose  names  I  do  not  I'ecall.  To  one 
of  the  syndicate,  whose  name  is  not  mentioned,  was 
entrusted  the  duty  of  closing  the  deal. 

The  purpose   of  the  syndicate   was  to  establisli   a 
residence  park,  something  like  Rockefeller  Park,  al- 

[220] 


THE  twep:d  1  AMir>Y 

thoii^li  the  demand  for  house  lots  was  not  as  active 
ill  those  (lays  as  it  was  after  the  piihlie  watei'  and 
sewers  had  heen  inti'odiieed.  It  would  ha\('  made, 
however,  an  ideal  residence  park  and  it  was  the  ])i()iieer 
effort  in  that  direction.  The  matter  (lra<><>'ed  alon"" 
through  the  winter  months  of  1^578.  without  any  re- 
port to  the  syndicate,  and  finally  in  February,  1871), 
its  members  awoke  to  the  fact  tliat  the  land  had 
sbpped  away  from  them  and  had  l)ecome  the  prop- 
erty of  Jeremiah   Milbank,  having  sold  for  '$4-7,.5()(). 

W^ien  the  title  was  being  closed  in  the  old  Town 
Clerk's  office  I  asked  William  M.  Tweed,  Jr.,  who 
represented  his  mother,  how  it  happened  that  the 
$.50, ()()()  offer  was  i-ejected.  "No  such  an  offer  was 
made,"  said  he.  "I  would  liave  been  glad  of  $2, 500 
more,  but  the  offer  that  came  to  me  from  the  syndi- 
cate was  $40,000  and  I  was  told  that  no  better  offer 
would  be  made."  It  was  just  one  of  those  little  inci- 
dents, growing  out  of  lack  of  judgment,  probably, 
that  often  attend  I'cal  estate  transactions  and  are  far- 
reaching  in  their  conse(iuences. 

In  18()8  and  18()9  Mr.  Tweed  was  in  the  height  of 
his  glory.  He  ruled  Xew  York  witli  an  iron  hand  and 
yet  tliere  must  have  been  times  when  he  realized  tliat 
his  political  power  I'ested  on  a  thin  shell  of  coi'ru|)tion, 
liable  any  day  to  collapse  and  plunge  him  into  a 
voi'tex  of  ad\erse  ])ublic  sentiment.  He  loved  tlat- 
tery  and  he  hated  to  be  criticised.  Tom  Xast,  Ilai'- 
pers'  famous  cartoonist,  had  even  then  sharpened  his 
pencil    and    occasionally    Tweed    appeared     in     the 

[221] 


OTHER  DAYS  IN  GREENWICH 

WecMi)  with  a  blazing  diamond  in  his  shirt  front. 
But  nothing  in  those  years  appeared  that  seemed 
serious  to  Tweed,  although  they  greatly  annoyed  him. 

As  an  offset  to  such  influences,  Senator  Harry 
Genet  and  a  few  of  that  ilk  started  a  general  contri- 
bution to  a  fund  for  a  public  statue  to  ]Mr.  Tweed,  to 
be  erected  in  Central  Park.  These  men  realized  what 
many  people  have  failed  to  give  ^Ir.  Tweed  credit 
for,  and  that  was  his  remarkable  conception  of  the 
future  of  the  City  of  New  York.  He  often  ex- 
pressed regret  that  ^lanhattan  Island  with  its  mag- 
nificent water  front,  should  have  been  laid  out  in 
angles  and  squares,  and  it  was  he  who  planned  the 
Boulevard  and  Riverside  Drive. 

Dui-ing  this  period  he  cast  a])out  for  sustaining 
influences  and  in  the  summer  of  1868  and  1869  he 
invited  the  children  of  the  city  orphan  asylum  on 
Randall's  Island  to  visit  him  at  I^inwood.  They 
were  called  for  short  the  'Tiandall's  Island  children," 
and  their  coming  was  announced  several  days  in  ad- 
vanx'e.  DodMorth's  band — Tweed  would  have  noth- 
ing else — came  with  them  on  a  steamboat  chartered 
for  the  occasion.  They  were  marched  up  Green- 
wich Avenue  and  down  Putnam  Avenue  to  IJnwood, 
with  the  band  in  advance  and  most  of  the  villagers 
looking  on  with  pride  at  the  benevolent  act  of  their 
distinguished  neighbor.  ^Slr.  Tweed  in  his  silk  hat 
and  frock  coat  with  the  inevitable  white  tie,  stood 
out  on  the  lawn  in  front  of  tlie  house  and  reviewed 
his  vouthful  guests;  on  one  occasion  addressing  them 

[222] 


THE  TWEED  FA.AIILY 

as  the  future  voters  of  the  «>reat  metropolis.  ^Vl'ter 
this  ceremony  they  (lisl)an(le(l,  with  evident  relief, 
and  were  turned  loose  on  the  Einwood  j^rounds,  to  the 
great  disgust  of  Tiieodore  II.  ^Nlead,  wliose  ap])le 
orchard  adjoined  and  suffered  accordingly. 

Perha])s  it  was  the  same  spirit  of  assumed  benevo- 
lence that  caused  him  to  donate  to  one  of  the  village 
churches  a  sandstone  baptistry  around  the  base  of 
which  was  inscribed,  with  letters  deeply  cut,  the 
words,  "The  gift  of  William  :M.  Tweed,  18()1)."  It 
still  remains  within  the  church,  although  it  has  lost 
its  foi-mer  ])lace  of  prominence. 

During  this  period  he  was  also  recognized  as  gen- 
erous to  the  bearer  of  a  subscription  paper  and  the 
object  mattered  not:  l)lack  or  white.  Catholic  or 
Protestant,  all  were  received  with  a  benign  smile  and 
a  ready  response. 

On  one  occasion  the  good  ladies  of  a  certain  re- 
ligious organization  called  upon  him  with  the  request 
for  a  subscription  for  an  organ.  Before  ap])roach- 
ing  him.  however,  they  had  gathered  up  all  the  sub- 
sci'iptions  possible,  but  had  found  rather  hard  sled- 
ding, with  the  result  that  the  })ledges  were  only  half 
sufficient. 

Taking  the  siibsci'iption  paper,  he  footed  up  the 
various  small  amounts,  with  the  stul)  of  a  pencil  he 
had  taken  from  his  vest  j)ocket.  and  looking  ovei"  his 
gold-rimmed  glasses  at  the  somewhat  awed  commit- 
tee, he  said,  "Well,  what  is  the  damn  thing  going  to 
cost,  anyway  T' 

[223] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 

The  ladies  were  shocked  at  the  expression,  but  a 
quickly  drawn  check  for  the  balance  required,  served 
as  a  relief  for  their  feelings,  and  they  left  express- 
ing many  thanks  and  a  world  of  good  wishes. 


[224] 


CHAPTER  XIX 

THE   ESCAPE   OF   WII.LTAM    :\r.    TWEED 

IX  Chapter  XV  allusio!)  lias  been  made  to  the  escape 
of  Tweed  from  jail  and  his  subsecpient  apprehen- 
sion and  arrest  in  Vigo,  Spain.  One  of  his  own  ap- 
pointees in  the  Sheriff's  office  took  him  ont  for  a  ride; 
he  stopped  to  make  a  call  at  his  own  home  in  the  city, 
and  he  never  appeared  again  nntil  sexei-al  months 
had  elapsed.  ^Nlany  acconnts  have  been  given  of  his 
escape  and  of  his  place  of  hiding  before  he  embarked 
for  Spain,  but  all  of  them  are  very  far  from  the 
truth. 

Before  I  relate  the  actual  story  of  his  esca])e,  let  jne 
recall  certain  facts,  within  the  memory  of  many 
Greenwich  people,  which  are  closely  connected  with 
that  event. 

On  the  ninth  day  of  June.  hSTO.  one  Isaac  Mosher 
sold  twenty-four  acres  of  land  and  a  farm  house 
northwest  of  Cos  Cob  village  to  Lydia  (t.  McMullen. 
the  wife  of  William  McMullen.  The  |)i-ice  paid  was 
$12, 800  and  the  transaction  was  closed  in  the  ottice 
of  Col.  Heusted  AV.  R.  Iloyt,  counsel  for  ^Ir.  T\\eed. 
The  latter  was  ])resent  on  the  occasion  and  subse- 
quentlv  he  gave  a  great  deal  of  attention  to  the  im- 
provements made  to  the  property.      This  place  is  lo- 

[•.>2.3] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 

cated  on  the  easterly  side  of  the  hio-hwav  running 
northerly  from  the  Post  Road  near  the  residence  of 
Augustus  and  Catherine  ^lead  which  was  then  known 
as  the  Edward  ]Mead  homestead.  The  house  is  still 
standing,  but  since  the  days  of  Tweed  has  been  much 
enlarged  and  more  recently  has  been  known  as  the 
Ardendale  Sanitarium.  He  introduced  ]Mrs.  ]Mc- 
Mullen  as  his  niece  and  it  was  understood  that  she 
and  her  husband  were,  to  a  certain  extent,  dependent 
upon  him. 

Andrew  J.  Garvey,  a  member  of  the  Americus 
Club,  and  generally  known,  from  his  numerous  con- 
tracts, as  the  city  plasterer,  paid  all  the  repair  bills 
on  the  ^Ic^NIullen  liouse.  Garvey  usually  left  the 
train  at  Cos  Cob  carrying  a  carpetbag  filled  with 
greenbacks  with  which  to  pay  the  mechanics  and  ma- 
terial men  employed  on  the  job.  Subsequently  in 
on.e  of  the  ring  prosecutions  in  the  Xew  York  Su- 
preme Court,  the  fact  appeared  that,  at  least  the 
plastering,  if  not  all  of  the  repair  work  on  the  ^Ic- 
3Iullen  house,  was  charged  to  the  city. 

At  that  period  the  Cos  Cob  station  agent  was  a 
young  man  who  has  since  been  a  prominent  resident 
and  officeholder  in  the  Borough.  He  had  consider- 
able to  do  with  handling  the  freight  and  express  pack- 
ages for  the  ^Nlc^Iullen  house,  to  his  pecuniary  ad- 
vantage, and  after  the  family  moved  in,  he  continued 
to  be  a  great  favorite  with  them  because  of  his  uni- 
versal courtesy  and  promptness. 

On  his  home  trip  from  the  Duane  Street  office  in 

[226] 


ESCWPE  OF  \Vir.lJA.M   M.  TWEED 

Xew  \'()i-k.  Mr.  Tweed  usually  left  the  train  at 
(Treeiiwieli.  but.  as  he  held  in  hiyli  esteem  his  nephew 
and  nieee.  it  is  not  strange  that  oeeasionally  he  was 
invited  to  |)ass  the  iii^nht  with  them  at  Cos  C'oh. 

The  youno'  station  a^^ent  be^yan  to  notiee  th.at  the 
D.l.)  evenin<>'  train  at  Cos  Cob  would  I'reciuently  sto}) 
a  thousand  feet  west  of  the  station,  down  by  Edward 
^lead's  hars.  and  then  erawl  u])  to  the  station.  In 
the  glare  of  the  headlight  it  was  hard  to  determine 
Avhy  the  pause  was  made,  as  down  the  length  of  the 
train  was  impenetrable  darkness.  Frank  Hermanee 
was  the  eonduetor  of  the  train.  He  was  one  of  the 
old-fashioned  conductors,  who  carried  a  lantern  with 
his  name  ground  on  the  glass  globe  and  a  rose  in  his 
buttonhole.  WHien  he  entered  the  door  he  came  with 
a  bound  and  a  smile  and  many  will  recall  how  he 
purred  the  words,  "(rood  morning.  l)rother,"  as  he 
punched  the  tickets. 

It  was  the  duty  of  the  station  agent  to  report  such 
an  irregularity  as  halting  a  train  down  by  Edward 
Mead's  bars  and  especially  when  the  occurrence  was 
frec|ue!it.  Finally  he  told  ]Mr.  Hermanee  that  he 
would  be  ol)Iiged  to  re])ort  him  if  it  occurred  again, 
but  I'' rank  only  smiled  and  gave  the  station  agent  a 
friendly  salute  as  he  started  his  train. 

About  this  time  Tweed  was  indicted  by  the  (irand 
Jui'\"  of  Xew  \'oik  County,  locked  up  in  the  Tombs 
and  ujjon  the  ti'ial  before  Judge  Noah  Davis  and  a 
jui'v  \\as  eon\  icted.  Judge  Davis  had  never  been 
a    fi'ieiid  of  Tweed's  and  on  the  opening  dav  of  the 

[•2-2r] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 

trial,  Jolm  (xrahani,  bis  leading  counsel,  very  humbly 
.su<>(»ested  tliat  His  Honor  "was  disqualified,"  for 
wliieli  insinuation  ]Mr.  Graham  was  promptly  fined 
$250.  But  the  charge  to  the  jury  was  fair  and  the 
only  criticism  counsel  for  the  defense  made  was  "tlie 
remarkable  sentence  imposed  by  the  Court." 

He  was  convicted  on  fifty  out  of  fifty-five  charges 
against  him  and  sentenced  by  Judge  Uavis  to  an 
aggregate  of  twelve  years  imprisonment.  He  might 
have  been  sentenced  for  sixty  years,  but  Judge  Davis 
decided  that  he  would  give  him  a  sentence  proportion- 
ate to  his  average  share  in  the  stealings;  that  is  that  he 
would  give  him  twenty  per  cent,  of  what  he  might 
have  imposed  upon  him. 

Tlien  the  question  was  generally  discussed  as  to 
whether  a  cumulative  sentence,  as  it  was  called,  was 
legal,  (xraliam  appealed  to  the  General  Term,  now 
called  the  Appellate  l^ivision,  and  was  defeated,  but 
afterwards  the  Court  of  Appeals  held  that  Tweed 
could  not  l)egin  to  serve  a  new  sentence  of  a  year  at 
the  end  of  a  term  of  service  of  punishment  u])on  an- 
other count. 

^Meanwhile  Tweed  went  to  RlackwelTs  Island  and 
began  to  serve  his  sentence,  occupying  a  double 
room  luxuriously  furnished,  near  the  northeast  end 
of  the  penitentiary  building.  In  going  down  the 
East  River,  on  the  Brooklyn  side  you  may  still  see 
in  the  grim  walls  of  the  great  building  a  double  win- 
dow, the  only  one,  which  was  made  expressly  to  add 
to  the  comfort  of  ^Ir.  Tweed  in  his  davs  of  imprison- 

[•>28] 


ESCAPE  OF  WIEETAM  M.  TWP^ED 

nic'iit.  when  he  was  l)ein_i>'  attended  ))y  the  otfieers  who 
owed  their  appointment  to  their  prisoner. 

Upon  the  reversal  of  the  judgment  l)y  the  Court 
of  Appeals  Mr.  Tweed  was  re-arrested  and  held  in 
Eudlow  Street  jail  under  the  eivil  suit  hi'ought  l)y  the 
eity  for  six  million  dollars  damages  and  it  was  from 
this  plaee  that  one  night  he  made  his  eseape. 

It  is  unneeessary  here  to  go  into  the  partieulars 
of  that  esea])e  further  than  as  they  are  conneeted 
with  and  ap})ly  to  the  town  of  Greenwich.  Tweed 
had  disappeared  and  there  was  no  clew  to  his  where- 
ahouts.  Andrew  H.  Cxreen,  Charles  O'Conor, 
Jose])h  II.  Choate  and  the  others  of  the  famous  Com- 
mittee of  Seventy  offered  a  reward  of  fifty  thousand 
dollars  for  his  apprehension.  If  you  will  read  the 
newspapers  of  those  days  you  will  notice  that  from 
the  time  of  his  depai"tui"e  till  he  was  I'eported  in  Vigo, 
Spain,  there  is  no  positive  account  of  his  whereabouts. 
There  were  at  least  two  men,  however,  who  might 
have  made  the  story  clear.  One  was  the  young  sta- 
tion agent  at  Cos  Cob  and  the  other  was  George  AV. 
Hoffman. 

It  was  in  the  early  winter  of  187.5  that  the  Cos 
Col)  agent,  who  liad  _just  laid  aside  an  evening  paper 
telling  of  the  escape  of  Tweed  and  advertising  the 
fifty-thousand  dollar  rewai'd  notice,  that  the  D.to 
ti'ain  again  made  its  mystei-ious  stop  at  Edward 
JNIead's  bars.  The  agent  was  angry.  The  conduc- 
tor had  disi'egarded  his  threat  to  rej)o!'t  him.  and  was 
again  disobeving  the  rules.      Seizing  a  lantern  he  I'an 

[■220] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 


do^vn  the  track.  As  he  passed  beyond  the  glare  of 
the  Jieadliglit  and  reached  the  baggage  car,  he  saw 
the  side  door  shde  open.  At  that  moment  a  woman 
from  behind  smashed  his  lantern.  Bewildered  in  the 
sudden,  darkness,  he  stepped  forward  and  put  his 
hand  on  the  great  bulk  of  AVilliam  ]M.  Tweed.  There 
was  a  man  with  him  and  a  woman  followed,  leaping 

across  the  ditch  beside 
the  track,  and  up  the 
bank  through  Edward 
JNIead's  bars.  There  a 
carriage  was  in  waiting 
and  George  W.  Hoff- 
man was  on  the  box. 

AVho  was  Hoffman  ? 
He  was  not  a  member  of 
the  Americus  Club  and  I 
could  never  get  any  defi- 
nite information  as  to 
who  lie  was,  except  that  Philip  X.  Jackson,  the  son 
of  an  Americus  Club  man,  said  he  was  one  of  Tweed's 
men.  Jackson  was  a  messenger  in  the  Xew  York  Su- 
preme Court  by  Tweed's  appointment  and  in  the  late 
seventies  and  early  eighties  was  the  trial  justice  in 
Greenwicli. 

After  Tweed's  death  Hoffman  came  to  Green- 
wich to  reside.  He  apparently  had  considerable 
money  and  he  purchased  of  James  Elphick  a  large 
area  of  oyster  groiuul.  A  long  and  serious  litigation 
then   followed  between  Elphick  and  Hoffman  over 

[230] 


JA.MKS    ELPHICK 
18;34— 1889 


ESCAPE  OF  WILLIAM   M.  TWEP:D 

the  contracts  for  the  purchase  of  this  oyster  <>r()un.(l, 
and  the  case  finally  terminated  in  the  Court  of  Errors 
in  favor  of  ]Mr.  Elphick  and  is  reported  in  the  49th 
volume  of  Connecticut  l{e[)orts. 

While  this  litigation  was  in  ])r()i>ress,  I  saw  much 
of  Hoffman  and  on  more  than  one  occasion  he  ad- 
mitted that  Tweed  came  up  on  the  9.1.5  on  the  night 
in  question,  occupying  the  baggage  car.  Hoffman 
never  told  how  he  got  Tweed  into  the  car  at  42nd 
Street,  hut  at  that  time  there  was  ample  ()p})oi-tunity 
to  walk,  unseen,  down  what  had  once  been  Fourth 
Avenue,  on  the  south  side  of  the  ti'ain  and  shp  into 
the  baggage  car. 

From  Cos  Cob  tlie  cari"iage.  with  Tweed  in  it.  was 
driven  to  the  McMullen  house,  wliere  his  last  meal 
in  Greenwich  was  eaten.  Thence  he  was  driven  across 
to  TaiM-yto\\n  where  a  tug  chartered  by  Hoffman 
was  waiting.  This  tug  took  >L".  Tweed  down  to  the 
lower  bay  and  to  an  outgoing  freight  steamer  bound 
for  Cuba. 

In  the  port  of  Havana  under  the  beetling  walls 
of  ^Nloro  Castle  Tweed  was  transferred  to  another 
steamer  bound  for  S])ain  and  was  sul)se(|uentlv  cap- 
tured at  A  igo  and  sent  back  to  Ludlow  Street  jail 
where  lie  died  April  12.  1H7<S.  at  the  age  of  fifty-five. 

Often  I  have  thought  of  that  .$5(),()()()  reward  that 
the  young  station  agent  made  no  attem])t  to  earn. 
How  easy  it  would  ha\  e  been  to  telegi-aj)h  the  authoii- 
ties  \v\]n  had  offered  the  rewai'd.  and  to  luue  caught 
Tweed  that  night  as  his  last  dinnei'  in  the  McMnllcn 

[281] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 

house  was  being  served.  The  agent  knew  exactly 
where  he  was.  He  was  poor  then,  but  now  he  is 
worth  more  than  twice  the  amount  of  that  reward. 
Once  I  asked  him  about  it.  He  took  from  his  lips 
an  expensive  cigar  and  contemplated  reflectively  its 
long,  imbroken  ash.  Then  he  looked  at  me  and  said, 
"I  thought  of  it,  but  how  could  I?" 


[232] 


CHAPTER  XX 

THE    OLD    TOAVN    HAI.L 

TIIK  old  Town  Hall,  whicli  stood  where  the  Sol- 
diers' Monument  now  stands,  was  horned  the 
nii>'ht  of  Oetoher  1.5,  1874.  'I'his  hoildiny  liad  heen 
used  many  years  for  puhlie  meetings,  theatrieal 
shows,  ehnreh  fairs,  elections,  and  as  a  court  room 
for  the  trial  Justice  of  the  Peace. 

It  was  a  sino'le  room,  lii»'hted  hv  eiu'ht  windows, 
containing  a  portahle  bench  for  the  court  and  an 
enclosure  for  the  lawyers,  which  usually  stood  on  the 
east  side  of  the  room.  The  Selectmen  and  other  town 
officials  had  their  offices  m  a  small  frame  buildin<>',  on 
(Treenwich  xVvenue,  which  stood  where  the  brick 
building-  of  Tuthill  Brothers  now  stands.  At  a  later 
date  the  officials  occupied  rooms  in  the  old  C'oni>re- 
*>'ational  Church  buildino-  after  it  was  removed  to  the 
corner  of  Putnam  Avenue  and  Sherwood  Place. 

At  the  time  of  the  fire  it  had  outlived  its  useful- 
ness. As  early  as  187'J  the  (juestion  of  a  new  to\\ii 
hall  was  sei'iously  considered.  At  the  annual  meet- 
in<>'  in  that  year,  lAike  A.  I^ockwood,  Drake  JNlead, 
AVilliam  J.  JNlead,  Odle  C.  Kna})|)  and  Thomas  A. 
JNlead  were  ap])ointed  to  in(|uire  into  the  expediency 
of  erecting  a  new  building.      This  committee  was  also 

[238] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREEXWICH 

charged  with  the  duty  of  recommending  the  location, 
the  size,  architectural  character  and  internal  arrange- 

o 

ment  of  such  a  building,  and  the  estimated  cost. 
The  following  year  the  committee  was  continued. 


TOWN    HAIX 

Drawn    from    description   liy    Carleton    W.    Hul)bar(l 

having  reported  progress.  A  set  of  plans  had  been 
prepared  for  a  building  which  was  to  be  erected  on 
the  northeast  corner  of  Putnam  Avenue  and  Sher- 
wood Place,  then  considered  the  business  center. 
These  plans  were  afterwards  framed  and  for  many 
years  hung  on  the  wall  of  the  Town  Clerk's  office. 

Mr.   George  Jackson   Smith,  the  Town  Clerk  at 
that  time,  had  a  habit  of  boasting  of  his  expensive 

[234] 


THE  oi:d  town  hall 


wall  decoration,  for  the  picture  cost  the  town  twelve 
hundred  dollars. 

It  would  seem,  however,  that  many  were  interested 
in  the  suhject  and  desirous  of  carrying  out  the  plans, 
hecause  in  1874?  the  Selectmen  were  authorized  to  aj)- 
ply  to  tlie  General  Assemhly  for  authoi-ity  to  hond 
the  town  for  $7.).0()().  foi-  the  pui'j)ose  of  huildiii^'  a 
new  town  hall.  A  spe- 
cial town  meetnig  was 
called  Xovemher  28, 
1878.  and  the  Town  Hall 
C  o  m  mitt  e  e  was  in- 
structed to  present  j)lans 
and  make  re])ort  to  a 
"s})ecial  meeting  here- 
after to  he  called  to  con- 
sider the  whole  suhject 
of  a  new  Town  Hall." 
While  the  new  Town  Hall  was  heing  discussed,  the 
officials  moved  into  Aaron  1*.  Ferris'  new  huilding. 
which  had  heen  erected  for  a  hotel  and  is  the  huilding 
now  owned  hy  the  town  and  ()ccu])ied  hy  Mayer  H. 
Cohen. 

The  town  paid  an  annual  rent  of  $()()().  The  Se- 
lectmen occupied  the  south  side  and  the  Town  Clerk 
and  Judge  of  Prohate  the  noi'tli  side,  tiivst  Hoor.  The 
second  and  third  floors  were  occuj)ied  as  tenements 
until  the  tii'st  of  July.  187.3.  when  the  second  floor 
was  c()n\erted  into  j)ul)lic  offices.      Mvron  L.  Mason. 

[•i:j.5] 


(;i:()i{(;i':  .i.  smiiii 

1S14-1S77 


OTHER  DAYS  IN  GREENWICH 

Edward  J.  Wright.  Charles  Cameron.  I^eander  P. 
Jones,  IM.U..  Ur.  Beverly  E.  INIead,  R.  Jay  Walsh, 
James  F.  AValsh,  Frederick  A.  Hubbard  and  pos- 
sibly others  occupied  offices  on  tlie  second  floor  of  this 
building. 


T()\V\   UAI.I.    I.\    IS7S 

John    }i.    Kay    aiul    .lolm    K.    Hay    stand    in    tlit-    forcfiround    iindfr    tlie 

tree   plantt-d    liy    Kdward   .1.    Wrif>lit 

It  was  crowded,  uncomfortable  and  badly  ar- 
ranged for  such  pin-poses  and  yet  for  years  it  was 
the  only  place  for  an  office  because  it  was  the  actual 
business  center.  The  Assessors.  Board  of  Relief 
and  Tax  Collector  all  found  })laces  wherever  they 
could,  unless  actually  excluded  by  a  justice  trial,  held 
in  tlie  Selectmen's  office. 

[230] 


TIIK  OLD  TOWN    HALL 

But  ilie  scliLine  to  hiiild  a  new  [oww  l;all  was  t'or- 
<»()ttfii  and  we  iiii^ht  still  \)v  usiiiL*'  the  iVarou  V.  Fer- 
ris l)iiil(lin_L>'.  hut  I'oi-  the  lihei'ahty  of  tlie  late  Robert 
]NL  Hruee  who.  with  liis  sistei'.  Miss  Sarah  Bruee, 
donated  the  new  Ijuildiuii. 


HOIJEKT  .M.   BKIC  i: 

Pliilimtlir()])ist 
Besides    many    otlicr    l)ciu'\  olcnt    frifts,    donated    to    (ireenwieli    its    Town 
Hall,     i'uhlie     I'ark    and     Hospital 

On  "Sidy  1.).  187.>.  Mr.  Feri'is  made  a  wi'itten  ])r()|)- 
osition  to  sell  his  huildinL*'  to  the  town.  He  deseril)ed 
the  projjerty  as  .30  feet  wide  and  2.j4  feet  dee])  and 
the  priee  named  was  -^11, .300,  to  he  ])aid  in  a  series  of 
notes,  drawinn-  interest  at  tlie  i-ate  of  se\  en  j)er  eent.. 
};ayahle  o\er  a  teiin  oi'  ten  years.      'I'he  j)i'oposition 

[2;37] 


OTHER  DAYS  IN  GREENWICH 

was  accepted  at  a  special  town  meeting  and  the  town 
took  title  and  still  owns  the  property;  the  front  half 
of  which  yields  a  rental  of  about  twelve  hundred  dol- 
lars a  year  and  reserves  shed  room  in  the  rear. 

At  the  time  the  town  took  title  we  had  no  public 
water,  sewers  or  lights.  The  water  supply  for  the 
town  building-  was  a  large  well,  which  was  filled  up 
in  1896.  But  the  occupants  of  the  building  realized 
its  unsanitary  condition  and  at  the  annual  town  meet- 
ing in  1878  the  Town  Clerk  and  the  Judge  of  Pro- 
bate w^ere  appointed  a  committee  "whose  duty  it  shall 
be,  at  an  expense  not  exceeding  $300,  to  make  needed 
repairs  and  improvements  in  and  about  the  rear  of 
the  town  building,  for  the  purpose  of  proper  use  and 
protection  of  the  well;  to  effect  safe  and  convenient 
exit  from  the  rear  doors  of  the  building;  to  build  a 
cistern  for  the  use  of  the  tenants  and  as  a  provision 
against  fire."  At  the  same  meeting  it  was  voted  to 
build  a  lockup  and  it  is  still  standing  as  a  storage 
room  in  the  rear  of  Cohen's  store. 

But  for  seventeen  years  matters  went  on  in  this 
way  without  a  ripple  until  September  9,  1895,  when 
an  attempt  was  made  to  purchase  the  land  adjoining 
on  the  south  owned  by  ^Nlary  F.  Dayton  and  now 
occupied  by  Elias  S.  Peck.  It  was  thought  that  the 
lot  enlarged  to  a  width  of  100  feet  would  warrant  the 
town  in  tearing  down  tlie  old  building  and  erect- 
ing a  new  town  liall  about  fiftv  feet  ])ack  from  the 
street,  with  light  on  all  sides.  But  the  proposition 
was  voted  down  and  we  struggled  on  under  the  old 

[•238]    ' 


THE  OLD  TOWN  HALL 

conditions  until  January  1,  lUOO.  when  the  new  town 
hall  was  occupied. 

Both  of  these  old  town  huildings  are  of  ])ecnhar 
interest.  The  first  one  was  pi-ohahly  huilt  a})out 
18.30  and  represented  a  huildin^-  typical  of  the  rural, 
farming  people.  'I'he  illustration  which  is  «>'iven  is 
made  from  a  description  of  the  huilding.  there  heing 
no  photograph  of  it  in  existence.  Hut  the  drawing 
so  accurately  illusti'ates  the  old  huilding  that  those 
of  the  oldci"  generation  will  at  once  recogni/e  it. 
During  all  those  fervid  times  hefore  and  during  the 
war  of  18()1  it  was  used  as  a  })olling  place,  as  indeed 
it  was  up  to  the  time  of  its  destruction.  Hut  in  the 
war  time  it  was  the  ])lace  of  many  an  angry  dehate 
and  many  incidents  occurred  which  are  still  talked 
ahout. 

Two  very  estimahle  and  ])r()minent  neighbors  once 
got  into  a  hot  ])olitical  dispute  on  an  election  day. 
One  resisted  the  entrance  of  the  other,  through  the 
door,  with  the  result  that  one  of  tlie  doors  was  pulled 
off  the  hinges  and  the  two  contestants  with  the  door 
rolled  down  the  hill. 

From  18.54  till  long  after  the  war  the  Horough 
meetings  were  held  in  the  old  town  hall,  hut  the  Bur- 
gesses met  at  pri\  ate  houses  and  usually  at  the  home 
of  the  Clerk. 

I  first  knew  of  Horough  meetings  in  18()().  Billy 
Ti-umhle.  a  (piaint  little  old  man.  was  the  town  jani- 
tor. For  a  numher  of  ycai's  he  had  been  man  of  all 
work  for  the  Rev.  Dr.  Joel  H.  Linslev,  and,  holding 

[■2:i!)] 


OTHER  DAYS  IN  GREENWICH 

such  a  post,  he  fancied  he  knew  all  the  affairs  of  the 
parish. 

The  old  man  had  (juite  an  attraction  for  nie  and 
liis  sterling  character  and  odd  sayings  made  their  im- 
pression. It  was  his  duty  to  open  and  light  the  hall 
for  the  annual  meetings  of  the  Borough. 

After  he  had  arranged  the  benches  and  dusted  the 
chairs,  he  would  take  his  seat  and  with  the  immense 
brass  door  key  across  his  lap  aw^ait  the  coming  of  the 
Warden. 

On  such  occasions  I  enjoyed  sitting  by  his  side  and 
listening  to  the  queer  stories  of  what  he  claimed  to 
have  seen  and  heard  around  the  old  wdiite  church, 
then  standing  in  front  of  the  present  stone  edifice. 
I  was  only  a  small  boy,  but  I  realize  how  the  old  man 
enjoyed  impressing  upon  my  youthful  fancy  his  visits 
at  night  to  the  puli)it  and  the  pews,  where  he  routed 
out  the  bats  that  were  circling  around  in  tlie  moon- 
light. 

In  those  days  the  workmen  were  ])usy  on  the  new 
church  and  piles  of  rul)bish  and  blocks-af^cut  stone 
occupied  every  possible  place  about  the  town  hall. 
The  cellar  had  also  been  invaded  by  the  stonecut- 
ters and  it  was  a  weird  place  at  night  after  they  had 
abandoned  it  to  the  darkness  and  the  bats.  One  of 
Billy's  duties  w^as  to  gather  up  the  chisels  and  ham- 
mers which  the  workmen  had  carelessly  left,  and  as 
his  "chores"  at  the  parsonage,  as  he  called  his  small 
errands  about  the  place,  often  kept  him  till  his  lan- 
tern was  needed,  it  was  my  great  delight  to  go  with 

[240] 


THE  OLD  TOWX  HALL 


liiiii  oil  sut'li  noc'tiii'iuil  trips,  poking  al)oiit  among  the 
cliips  for  tl'.e  stray  tools. 

Hut  notliing  ^^■as  iiioi-e  agreeable  to  Hilly  than  the 
oeeasion  of  the  annual  Horough  meeting.  1  think  lie 
felt  (juite  as  important  as  tiie  AVarden  and  he  was 
certainly  better  paid,  as 
that  otfieial  drew  no  sal- 
ary. 

After  the  ai'i'ival  of  the 
W^arden  the  next  man  to 
appear  was  Robert  \V. 
^Nlead,  the  clerk.  These 
officials  would  talk  a  few 
minutes,  but  no  one  else 
appearing,  the  \\'^arden 
would  ste])  ovei"  to  the 
])arsonage,  while  the 
clerk  would  hurry  up  to 
Solomon  Mead's  and 
C'hai-les  H.  Seaman's, 
and  Hilly,  while  I  tagged 
at  his  heels,  would  be  sent 
down  to  invite  Henry  M. 
Benedict,  I^.  P.  Hub!)ar(l,  Joseph  K.  Hrush  and 
George  Sellick  up  to  vote. 

It  was  invariably  the  case  in  those  days  that  a  suf- 
ficient number  of  voters  to  till  the  offices  would  not 
attend  the  meetings  excei)t  upon  personal  solicitation. 
and  Billy  and  I  did  most  of  the  ro])ing  in.  My  part 
was  to  carry  tlie  lantern.      He  had  an  odd  but  very 

[241] 


AMOS    M.    HKlSIl 
III     IS()() 

is,>,j-i !)():. 


OTHER  DAYS  IN  GREENWICH 

polite  way  of  touching  his  hat  and  saying,  "Please, 
sir,  there  are  only  four  at  the  meeting  and  it  takes 
eight  to  fill  the  offices.  Won't  you  come  up  and  vote 
for  somebody,  and  somebody  will  vote  for  you?" 

Such  an  appeal  was  irresistible  and  we  elected  the 
full  Board.  I  can  rememlier  no  other  moderator  in 
that  building  on  election  days  except  Amos  M.  Brush. 

In  those  times  there  was  not  such  a  system  of  regis- 
tration and  such  a  poll  list  as  are  now  employed. 
Of  course,  the  Town  Clerk's  record  showed  who  were 
voters  and  when  they  became  voters.  Both  political 
parties  were  rej^resented  at  the  polls  and  there  was 
always  a  record  of  the  number  of  votes  deposited. 

My.  Brush,  the  moderator,  stood  behind  the  ballot 
box  and  as  the  voter  deposited  his  ballot  ^Nlr.  Brush 
would  poke  it  down  among  the  others  with  his  lead 
pencil.  On  one  occasion  a  voter,  whose  political  be- 
lief was  opposed  to  that  of  the  moderator,  charged 
the  latter  with  not  depositing  his  ballot  in  the  box. 
"Stop  the  voting,"  said  INIr.  Brush,  "unlock  the  box 
and  count  the  ballots,"  which  was  quickly  done,  and 
the  disoTuntled  voter  was  satisfied  that  his  ballot  was 
among  the  others  and  not  upon  tlie  floor,  as  he  had 
charged. 

In  the  old  days  when  the  town  building  on  Green- 
wich  Avenue  was  filled  with  tenants,  a  local  wit 
dubbed  it  "Lincoln's  Inn,"  and  a  young  man  who 
then  resided  here  but  who  subsequently  became  a 
gi-ave  and  learned  professor  in  a  great  American  Uni- 
versitv  wrote   the   following  lines  which   were   i)ul)- 

[242] 


THE  OLD  TOWX  HALL 

lislied  in  tlie  Stain  ford  Ilvndd.     The  first  and  last 
verses  only  ai'e  ((noted: 

Oil.  I  wish   I   li\((l  ill   Liiu'ciln  s   Inn 
WIrti'  the  siiiiis  are  made  of  gilt  and  tin ; 
Witli  my  feet  in  a  clia-r  I'd  sit  and  grin. 
It's   the  way  they  do  in   Lincoln's    Iini. 

Then  at  night  when  the  darkness  is  complete. 
When  the  faithful  watchman  treads  his  beat. 
And  his  boots  resound  in  the  silent  street, 
Full  many  a  s))ectre.  weird,  he  sees, 
The  ghosts  of  de])arted  lawyers'  fees 
And  s])irits   jiale  of  all   degrees, 
Who  ))erch  in  the  dark;  on  the  signs  of  tin — 
Ob.  a  rare  old  place  is   Lincoln's   Inn. 


[243] 


L 


CHAPTER  XXI 

THE    LEWIS    AND    MASOX    FAMILIES 

EWIS  and  jMason  Streets  are  named  after  two 
])r()miiient  old-time  families.  One  of  the  most 
interesting-  spots  in  the  Borough,  rife  as  it  is  with 
historic  memories,  is  the  northeast  corner  of  Putnam 
Avenue  and  Lafayette  Place,  where  the  Rev,  Dr. 
Lewis  lived,  and  M'hicli  was  suhsequently  owned  by 
his  daughter,  jNIrs.  INIary  E.  JMason,  and  his  grand- 
son, Theodore  L.  IMason,  INLl). 

Before  the  war  of  the  Revolution  this  corner  and 
many  acres  besides  belonged  to  Henry  JMead.  He 
was  the  landlord  of  a  Colonial  tavern  which  stood 
near  tlie  junction  of  the  main  country  road  and  the 
road  to  Sherwood's  Bridge,  now  Glenville.  Here  he 
entertained,  in  such  style  as  the  times  permitted.  Gen. 
Putnam.  Gen.  Lafayette  and  other  Revolutionary 
notables. 

Times  were  hard  in  Greenwich  after  the  close  of 
the  war  and  Henry  JNIead  struggled  along  for  a  few 
years  and  then  moved  with  liis  family  to  New  Vork 
City.     As  far  as  is  known,  none  of  them  returned. 

He  sohl  the  old  homestead  or  tavern  in  17H7  for 
three  himdred  and  twenty  })()unds.  The  land, 
bounded  nortlierly  by  tlie  liigliway  and  what  is  now 
the  Lenox  House  ])r()perty  and  westerly  by  the  road 

[2U] 


THE  LEWIS  AND  ^SIASON   FAMILIES 

to  Pipiii^L*'  Point,  now  Cireenwicli  .Vnciuk'.  was  ])iir- 
chased  from  Amos  JNIead  and  Henry  Mead,  respec- 
tiveh'. 

I^ewis  Street  divides  the  soutlierly  tract  and  was 
very  appropriately  named  after  Dr.  Lewis. 

He  was  a  man  of  note  thVonghout  New  England. 
He  was  <^i-a(luate(l  from  ^'ale  College  in  the  class  of 
17<>.>.  and  entei'ed  the  ministi'v  of  the  Congregational 
Chnrch.  His  long  and  lahorions  pi'ofessional  hfe 
was  largely  passed  in  the  pastorate  of  the  Second 
Congregational  Society  in  this  town.,  which  position 
he  assnmed  in  17S()  and  occupied  for  thirty-three 
years.  In  17*>'i  ^'ale  College  conferred  on  liim  the 
degree  of  Doetoi-  of  Divinity,  and  fi'om  181()  to  ISIS 
he  was  a  mem})ei"  of  the  Cor])oration.  and  in  ISKJ  was 
made  a  Fellow  of  the  College.  LTpon  accjuiring  the 
property  he  at  once  ])r()ceeded  to  remove  the  Henry 
^lead  house,  and  as  the  church  then  had  no  ])arson- 
age,  lie  l)uilt  a  tine  Colonial  mansion  ahout  seventy- 
five  feet  hack  from  the  corner. 

The  old  fig  tree,  still  there,  was  ])lanted  hv  him  and 
it  grew  very  near  the  south  end  of  the  house.  It  was 
a  heautiful  house  in  all  its  })roportions  and  in  the 
look  of  hos])itality  which  always  pervaded  it.  It  was 
huilt  in  the  summei-  of  17H(),  hut  was  not  an  old-fash- 
ioned sweej)-l)ack,  l)ecause  the  Colonies  had  hecomc  in- 
dependent, and  the  necessity  for  a  one-story  house, 
which  is  said  to  have  heen  exempt  from  taxation  hy 
the  Crown,  no  longer  existed. 

I  have  had  manv  interesting  conversations  wit!i  tlie 

[245] 


OTHER  DAYS  IN  GREENWICH 

late  Col.  Thomas  A.  JNIead,  Solomon  S.  ]Mead,  I). 
Smith  ^lead  and  Isaac  L.  jNIead  concerning  this  old 
mansion.  There  was  no  conflict  among  them  as  to 
the  location  and  appearance  of  the  house.  As  the  fig 
tree  grew  near  the  south  end,  it  is  easy  to  locate  it. 
The  house  faced  the  west,  and  from  the  front  door, 
over  which  was  an  old-time  porch  with  a  graceful 
trellis,  a  walk  between  rows  of  box-wood  lead  to  La- 
fayette Place. 

It  was  considered  a  grand  house  and  its  owner  was 
looked  up  to  by  old  and  young  as  a  wise  and  good 
man.  It  was  his  home  for  thirty-three  years,  and 
dm-ing  that  period  it  was  the  center  of  social  and  re- 
lio-ious  activities.  "He  was  kind  and  affectionate  in 
his  social  relations,  and  for  piety  and  learnin.g  emi- 
nently distinguished,"  according  to  his  epitaph.  It 
is  easy  to  believe  he  wielded  a  powerful  influence  for 
good  in  the  community. 

Dr.  Lewis  died  August  27,  IS-iO,  at  tlie  age  of 
ninety-five,  leaving  six  children  and  a  considerable  es- 
tate. 

Here,  also,  on  November  20,  1821,  died,  at  the 
early  age  of  twenty-four,  ]Miss  Elizabetli  Stillson  of 
Bethlehem,  Conn.,  a  member  of  the  family  of  Dr. 
Lewis,  for  whom  the  Stillson  Benevolent  Society  of 
the  Second  Congregational  Ch.urch  was  named. 

The  children  wlio  survived  Dr.  Lewis  were  Zach- 
ariah;  Isaac,  who  succeeded  his  father  as  pastor  of  the 
church;  ISIrs.  Piatt  Buffett  of  Stanwich;  ]Mrs.  ]Mary 
E.  jNIason,  widow  of  David  ]\Lison;  Roswell  W.,  and 

[240] 


THE  LEWIS  AND  ^SIASOX  FA^SIII.IES 

Sarali.     Mrs.   Haniiali   Eewis,   tlie   niotlier  of  these 
children,  died  in  April,  1829. 

On  the  lOth  of  Decemher,  1846,  all  the  Lewis  i)rop- 
erty  was  conveyed  to  ^Nlary  E.  ^lason  a!id  Sarah 
Lewis,  and  until  18.50  they  were  inmates  of  the  old 
mansion.  Later  they  moved  to  tlie  new  house  which 
was  huilt  in  tliat  year  and  is  still  stanchng.  Mary  E. 
JNIason  was  tlie  mother  of 
Dr.  Theodore  L.  ^lason, 
for  whom  Mason  Street, 
opened  in  1881,  was  ap- 
propriately named. 

iNIiss  Sarah  Lewis  Mas 
very  active  in  tlie  cliui'ch 
that  for  so  many  years 
had  been  under  the  ])as- 
torate  of  her   father  and 

brother.      She    organi/ed  .miss  sah ah  i.i-.wis 

the    Sunday   School,   and 

was    its    first    superintendent.     Her    jioi'trait    hangs 
upon  the  wall  in  the  Sunday  School  room. 

In  1801  David  ^Nhison.  Es(|.,  married  ^lary  Eliza- 
beth Lewis,  daughter  of  the  Kev.  Dr.  Lewis,  at  the 
old  homestead.  He  was  a  lawyer  of  ability  and  as 
an  advocate  had  s])ccial  influence.  He  was  engaged 
in  ])ractice  in  C'o()i)erst()wn,  X.  V.,  with  Mi'.  William 
Cooper,  an  elder  brother  of  James  Fenimore  C\)oi)er. 
His  cousin  was  Jeremiah  Mason  of  Hoston,  who  in 
his  day  often  crossed  swords  with  Daniel  AW-bstcr  in 
the   courts   of   Massachusetts   and   New   Hampshire. 

[247] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 


David  ^Nlason  was  tlie  father  of  three  chiklreu,  of 
wlioiii  Tlieodore  I.^.  jMason  was  the  eldest.  At  his 
death  his  widow  and  cliihh-en  removed  to  Dr.  I^ewis' 
residence  in  (xreenwicli,  where  Theodore's  youth  and 
early  nianliood  were  spent.  Under  the  direction  of 
various  teachers,  and  notably  in  the  private  school  of 
his  uncle,  the  Rev.  Piatt  BufFett  of  Stanwich,  he  re- 
ceived   a    thorough    training-    in    English    and    the 

classics.  Later  he  be- 
came a  medical  student 
under  the  direction  of  Dr. 
I3arius  ]\Iead,  who  lived 
on  the  top  of  Putnam 
Hill  where  Edwin  H. 
Baker's  h  o  u  s  e  n  o  w 
stands.  Dr.  ]\Iead  gave 
the  young  men  who 
studied  under  him  clinical 
instruction  at  the  bedside 
of  the  sick,  as  well  as  in- 
struction in  the  proper  text  books. 

Subsequently  young  Dr.  Mason  was  graduated 
from  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  in  New 
York  and  practiced  a  few  months  in  Greenwich. 
He  then  went  to  Wilton,  Conn.,  and  later  to  New 
York  City,  removing  from  there  to  Brooklyn,  X.  Y., 
in  1834,  wliere  he  remained  in  the  active  practice  of 
his  profession  until  his  death  February  12,  1882. 
He  frecjuently  visited  Greenwich  and  during  his  life 

[248] 


DR.    DAUirS    MEAD 
In   1H()0 

1788-1864 


THE   T.EWTS   AND   :y[AS()\   FAMITJES 

Avas  well  kii()\\ii  in  this  town.  At'tci-  his  death  tlie 
land  on  hoth  sides  of  Mason  and  Lewis  Streets  as 
well  as  that  alonu'  (ireein\ieh  Avenne  was  sold. 


[249] 


CHAPTER  XXII 

THE   OLD   BLACK   AVALXUT  TREE 

THE  "Teat  black  walnut  tree  that  stands  on  ]Mrs. 
George  E.  Nichols'  front  lawn  on  jNIaple 
Avemie  is  said  to  be  the  largest  in  the  State.  It  is 
certainly  a  very  old  tree  and  was  a  seedlino;  lon^'  be- 
fore  the  Reyolution.  It  must  haye  been  planted  yery 
early  in  the  eighteenth  century  and  it  is  not  improb- 
able that  the  Rey.  Abraham  Todd,  a  minister  who 
seryed  the  Second  Congregational  Church  for  forty 
years,  planted  it  with  his  own  h.ands.  At  that  time 
and  until  1833  the  church  owned  no  parsonage,  but 
in  addition  to  his  salary  the  minister  was  "iyen  the 
use  of  the  "parsonage  lands." 

]Mr.  Todd  was  graduated  from  Yale  in  1727  and 
came  to  Greenwich  fiye  years  later.  For  those  days 
his  salary  was  princely.  He  receiyed  a  "settlement" 
of  one  thousand  dollars,  the  use  of  the  ]:)arsonage 
lands  and  five  hundred  dollars  i)er  annum,  besides 
firewood,  and  after  three  years  an  additional  one 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars  ])er  annum. 

As  Mr.  Todd  on  the  29th  of  May,  1733,  purchased 
for  eleyen  hundred  dollars  twelve  acres  of  land  of 
Theo])hilus  Peck,  with  his  homestead,  we  may  as- 
sume that  the  "settlement"  money  above  referred  to 

[2.50] 


THE  OI.D  lU.AC  K  WAT.XUT  TREE 

was  thus  invested  and  liei'e  was  estal)lislied  tile  par- 
son a  <>e. 

These  twelve  aei'es  were  identieal  with  the  land 
now  extending'  from  Patterson  Avenue  south  to 
pro]3erty  of  Edward  Inrush  and  Avest  heyond  Maher 


SACKKT'l"    noMKSTKAI) 

Hiiilt  17  7!).  Suhscqueiitly  tin-  lioiiii-s  of  , lames  W.  I)i)minick  and  .Inliii 
Sriiffcii.  Hciiiodeled  18.50.  Tlie  old  tree  does  not  ajipear  in  tlie 
|)liot()iii-a])li 

.Avenue.  In  this  ti"aet  stood  For  many  years  the 
John  Snillin  house.  \\'hen  Mi'.  Todd  !)ouL>lit  the 
land  it  \\as  hounded  on  the  east  hy  North  Street. 
the  name  hy  wliieh  Maple  Avenue  was  known  until 
lono-  after  the  adoption  of  a  IJorough  (government  in 
1S.)4. 

Tlie  house  oeeupied   h\'    Mr.   Todd   until  his  death 

[2.31] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 

in  177'^  stood  well  I'ack  from  tlie  road,  in  wliat  was 
subsequently  called  the  old  orchard.  ]Mr.  Alvan 
JNIead,  who  died  at  an  advanced  ai>e  in  1881.  was  able 
to  locate  the  house  by  tradition  and  to  describe  it  as 
an  old-fashioned  sweep-back,  facing  the  south. 

]\Ir.  Todd  left  seven  children.  Five  years  after 
his  death  they  sold,  for  twenty-three  hundred  and 
fifty  dollars,  the  place  occupied  by  the  family  for  more 
than  forty  years.  Xehemiah  ^Nlead,  Jr.,  was  the 
23urchaser  and  it  may  not  be  uninteresting  to  copy  the 
descri]3tion  of  the  property  as  it  appears  in  his  deed. 
He  purchased  from  the  Todd  heirs  "Fourteen  acres, 
"he  it  more  or  less,  with  a  dwelling  house  and  barn 
"thereon,  northward  of  the  Country  road  (meaning 
"what  is  now  Putnam  Avenue)  it  being  that  house 
"and  land  whereon  our  honored  father.  Rev.  Abra- 
"ham  Todd,  deceased,  lately  lived.  Bounded  East- 
"erly  by  North  Street.  Northerly  by  land  of 
"Humphrey  Denton,  ^^^esterly  by  land  of  Justus 
"Sackett  in  part  and  partly  by  land  of  Isaac  Holmes, 
"Jr..  and  Southerly  by  land  of  Justus  Sackett." 

^Ir.  ^Nlead  held  it  for  only  nine  months  when,  on 
December  4,  1778,  he  sold  it  for  one  pound  more  than 
he  paid  to  Justus  Sackett. 

It  was  Mr.  Sackett  who  built  the  original  John 
Sniffin  homestead  under  the  shade  of  the  old  black 
walnut  tree  and  it  was  probably  built  immediately 
after  he  came  into  possession,  in  the  Summer  of  1770. 
Here  he  lived  until  January  15.  1827.  when,  he  died 
at  the  age  of  eightv-seven  vears. 

[2.52] 


THE  OIJ)  lU.ACK  WALXI  T  TREE 

In  passiiiL)-  it  may  not  he  amiss  to  (luotc  from  Mr. 
Sackett's  will  in  which  he  speaks  of  the  '"Todd  lots," 
referring  to  the  location  near  the  old  orehai'd.  the 
former  home  of  Rev.  Ahraham  Todd.  Tliis  sjjot  is 
not  far  from  the  })laee  oecnpied  by  the  reeently  re- 
moved and  remodeled  "Sniff'en  homestead"  on  I'at- 
terson  Avenue  belonging  to  William  H.  Hoggson. 
To  his  son  he  gives  his  black  boy  "Charles"  and  the 
ancestral  tall  clock,  showing  that  slavery  was  extant 
in  Connecticut  as  late  as  181.3,  when  the  will  was 
dated,  and  that  the  tall  clock  was  then  valued  more 
than  by  later  generations. 

Anna  Sackett,  the  widow,  continued  to  reside  in. 
the  homestead  in  the  enjoyment  of  her  dower  uiitil 
February  1.5,  18.*37.  when  she  died  at  the  age  of  ninety- 
six  years.  Justus  Sackett,  Jr.,  was  the  next  owner 
of  the  property.  Pie  appears  to  have  been  some- 
what of  a  trader  in  real  estate,  for  in  1832  he  aecpiired 
contiguous  property  exten.ding  north  and  west  as  far 
as  Sanford  Mead's  and  south  to  Augustus  Eyon's, 
latei'  known  as  the  I'erry  land  and  now  belonging  to 
William  G.  and  Percy  A.  Rockefeller.  He  did  not 
hesitate  to  borrow  money  and  give  mortgages,  a 
somewhat  unusual  ])roceeding  in  those  days.  Hut  on 
Mai'ch  19,  184(),  he  seems  to  have  been  willing  to 
abdicate  in  favor  of  his  son,  William  II.  Sackett,  to 
whom  he  gave  a  deed  of  more  than  fifty  acres,  re- 
serving to  himself  a  life  estate. 

A>"illiam  H.  Sackett  continued  to  i-eside  in  the  old 
homestead   under  the    famous  tree   until    18.51    when 

[•-'.5.'i] 


OTHER  DAYS  IN  GREENWICH 

he  sold  tlie  property  to  Justus  Ralph  Sackett,  who 
held  it  until  October  1,  1852,  when  he  sold  and 
conveyed  it  to  James  W.  Dominick.  And  now 
we  get  down  to  the  memory  of  many  Greenwich 
people. 

James  W.  Dominick  and  his  brother,  William,  who 
resided  on  Putnam  Avenue  in  the  house  now  owned 
by  Mrs.  Susan  C.  Talbot,  were  two  of  the  early 
Greenwich  commuters.  They  each  possessed  a  fam- 
ily of  likely  boys,  wlio  have  sustained  their  early 
reputations  and  are  now  men,  well  known  in  financial 
circles  being  honored  and  respected  by  all.  George 
F.  Dominick  and  his  son  of  the  same  name  are  both 
residents,  but  James  W.  Dominick's  sons  have  never 
lived  here. 

]VIr.  James  W.  Dominick  was  rated  a  rich  man  and 
he  belonged  to  a  lineage  of  culture  and  refinement. 
Therefore  the  old  Sackett  homestead  built  in  1779 
was  not  to  his  liking.  It  is  true  it  possessed  some 
attractive  features,  both  within  and  without.  The 
wide  fireplace,  the  quaint  mantel  cupboards,  the 
long  shingles  and  the  colonial  roof  with  its  diminu- 
tive dormers  were  artistic,  but  more  room  was  needed 
and  hence,  more  than  fifty  years  ago,  the  remodeling 
was  accomplished.  Until  it  was  moved  in  190(3  to 
make  room  for  the  new  Nichols  house  it  remained 
unchanged.  It  went  to  John  Sniifen  jNIay  19,  1864, 
and  continued  in  his  possession  imtil  liis  death  Janu- 
ary 31,  1888.  It  was  subsequently  sold  by  tlie  widow 
and  heirs. 

[254] 


THE  OLD  BLACK  \VALXUT  TREE 

The  Saekett  boys,  the  IJoiiiiiiiek  hoys  and  the 
Sniffen  boys  all  had  a  happy  home  under  the  old 
blaek  walnut  tree  whieh  may  eontinue  to  grow  for 
eenturies  to  come. 


[2.5.5] 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

ROCKY    NECK THE    SILLECK    HOUSE 

AIMONG  the  cherished  articles  of  personal  prop- 
erty found  among-  the  effects  of  the  late  Solo- 
mon Mead  and  now  owned  hy  his  nephew,  Elhert 
A.  Silleck,  is  a  map  of  "Rocky  Neck  Point."     Ex- 
actly given,  the  title  of  the  map  is  as  follows:     "Map 
'of  eleven  acres  of  land  lying  on  Rocky  Xeck  Point, 
'Greenwich  steamhoat  landing,  laid  out  into  huild- 
ing  lots  50  feet  front  on  the  road,  unless  otherwise 
'expressed  upon  the  map  and  extending  to  the  water. 
'Surveyed  October,  1836,  and  plotted  from  a  scale  of 
'132  feet  to  one  inch  by  Wm.  H.  Holly,  X.  Currier 
'Lith.,  Cor.  Xassau  and  Spruce  Streets,  X.  Y." 

The  map  shows  Indian  Harbor  Point,  Field 
Point  and  an  island  then  called  Great  Island,  but 
now  Round  Island.  It  also  shows  the  depth  of 
water  at  the  steamboat  landing  to  be  six  feet  at  low 
tide,  and  it  indicates  the  course  of  a  steamboat  to 
Stamford  and  Sawpits.  The  latter  place  now  has 
the  more  dignified  name  of  Port  Chester.  At  the 
foot  of  the  map  is  written  in  ink,  "the  above  lots  to 
be  sold  on  the  23d  of  .March,  1837."  This  is  sug- 
iJfestive  of  a  vendue,  as  an  auction  in  those  (lavs  was 
called.  There  were  fifty-eight  lots  and  one  acre  on 
the  extreme  point  was  reserved. 

[256] 


ROCKY  XKCK     THE  SILT.ECK  HOUSE 

From  the  fact  that  tliis  ma])  was  litliograplied  by 
the  firm  afterwards  so  well  known  as  Currier  &  Ives, 
it  is  clear  tliat  the  ])uhlic  vendue  must  liavc  been  ex- 
tensively advertised. 

At  that  time  New  York  City  was  a  day's  journey 
away  and  was  readied  usually  by  market  sloop  and 
sometimes  by  team  down  the  stajL»'e  road. 

Greenwich  was  then  si^irsely  settled,  devoted  to 
agriculture  exclusively,  and  possessed  of  considerable 
wealth.  The  land  in  (juestion  was  wild,  filled  with 
rocks,  and  seamed  with  ledges  overshadowed  by 
enormous  trees.  Tlie  eleven  acres  included  all  the 
land  south  of  the  north  line  of  the  property  of  ^Vil- 
liam  H.  Teed. 

It  appears  from  the  records  that  as  early  as  17*25, 
all  the  land  from  Grigg  Street  south  to  the  end  of  the 
])oint  and  east  as  far  as  the  Held  House  was  called 
"Rockie  Xecke."  It  \\as  common  land,  as  wild  as 
the  Adirondack  forest.  About  that  time  it  was  ap- 
portioned off*  by  the  town  to  the  different  taxpayers, 
who  were  called  "Proprietors,"  in  pro])ortion  to  their 
respective  assessmen.t  lists.  Under  the  apportion- 
ment and  by  a  few  subse(juent  conveyances  all  of 
"Rockie  Xecke"  went  into  the  jxossession  of  two 
brothers,  Daniel  Smith  and  John  Smith. 

Through  the  marriage  of  a  daughter  of  Daniel 
Smith  much  of  this  property  went  to  Daniel  Snu'th 
Mead,  the  grandfather  of  Oliver  D.  Mead. 

When  the  Rocky  Xeck  Co.  was  formed  Daniel 
Smith  Mead  was  deceased  and  the  com})anv  bought 

[257] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 

the  land  of  his  heirs.     Tliis  purchase  represented  the 
first  effort  of  land  speculators  in  Greenwich. 

I  often  talked  with  those  interested  in  the  venture 
and  I  recall  very  distinctly  the  details  of  the  transac- 
tion as  they  were  given  to  me  and  as  they  are  found 
in  the  puhlic  records.  It  was  a  wild  and  rocky 
stretch  with  nothing  but  a  cart  path  over  the  line  of 
the  present  highway. 

No  attempt  had  been  made  to  cultivate  any  part 
of  it.  ^Nlany  of  the  primeval  forest  trees  were  still 
standing — great  oaks  that  had  stretched  their  limbs 
across  the  Indian  paths  of  a  century  earlier.  There 
were  bowlders  of  enormous  size  covered  with  a  wealth 
of  moss,  and  resting  in  beds  of  lichens  and  ferns  that 
ffrew  with  rank  luxuriance  about  their  base.  One 
larger  and  more  rustic  than  all  the  others  was  shaped 
like  a  great  chair,  filled  with  moss  and  backed  with  ce- 
dars over  which  the  woodbine  trailed  in  graceful  profu- 
sion. It  was  well  named  the  "Indian  Chief's  Throne." 
To  cut  such  a  piece  of  land  as  that  into  fifty-eight 
buildiu"-  lots  seemed  a  wild  and  chimerical  scheme. 

But  as  I  read  the  list  of  stockholders  of  the  Rocky 
Neck  Co.  I  find  them  all  men  of  nerve  and  character, 
as  far  as  I  knew  them,  and  I  have  a  personal  knowl- 
edge of  all  but  three.  These  were  John  D.  Spader, 
who  held  three  shares,  Benjamin  Andrews,  two  shares 
and  Thomas  Simons  four  shares.  ^Ir.  Spader  was 
the  man  who  subsequently  married  a  daughter  of 
Silas  Davis  and  the  other  two  were  probably  residents 
of  New  York. 

[2.58] 


ROCKV  NECK— THE  SIEEECK  TTOTTSE 

The  other  stoekholders  were  Silas  Davis,  one 
share;  Auoustus  Lyon,  five  sliares;  William  A. 
Hiisted,  two  shares;  Jonathan  A.  Close,  three  shares; 
AValter  Davis,  one  sliare;  Alvan  ^Nlead,  one  share; 
Solomon  ^lead,  thi'ee  shares;  Daniel  S.  ]Mead,  one 
share;  Zaccheus  JNlead.  Jr.,  two  sliares;  Husted 
Hohhy,  two  shares;  Al)i-aham  H.  Davis,  tliree  sliares; 
and  Thomas  A.  JNIead,  two  shares.  Eaeh  sliare  had 
a  par  valne  of  one  hundred  dollars, 

Silas  Davis  aj^pears  to  have  heen  the  leadei-  of  the 
enterprise,  as  he  held  what  was  termed  a  refusal  of 
the  property  for  $.*}.5()().  At  the  present  time  it  would 
be  ealled  a  thirty-day  option,  except  that  Mr.  Davis 
had  nothing-  in  wi-itino-.  But  perhaps  he  was  merely 
carrying  out  the  instructions  of  such  men  as  Solomon 
ISlead  and  Thomas  A.  oNIead  in  securing  the  ()])tion. 
At  tliat  time  Solomon  Mead  was  only  twenty-eight 
years  old  and  as  he  lived  here  all  his  life  and  died  at 
the  age  of  ninety,  ])ossessed  of  more  than  a  million 
of  dollars,  it  is  fair  to  assume  that  this  a])parently 
crazy  investment  was  advised  and  perhaps  urged  ])y 
him.  .Vlthough  he  thought  tlie  ])rice  too  high,  he 
finally  a])])r()ved  the  scheme,  put  up  his  thi'ee  hun- 
(li-ed  dollars  and  carefully  preserved  the  ma]),  pos- 
sibly as  a  reminder  that  in  this  enterprise  he  made 
some  of  his  first  dollars. 

The  company  was  formed  under  tlie  joint  stock 
laws,  and  tlie  articles  of  the  association  whicli  a])])ear 
in  the  land  recoi'ds  \\ci"e  evidently  pi'epared  hy  a 
lawver. 

[239] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREEXWICH 

Tile  purpose  of  the  association  was  to  acquire  the 
land  and  to  build  a  store  house  or  store  houses,  and 
a  wharf  in  order  that  passengers  and  freight  to 
Stamford,  Xew  York  and  other  points  could  be 
transported.  This  was  clearly  a  bid  to  steamboats 
and  sailing  vessels  to  call  for  passengers  and  produce, 
but  no  suggestion  was  made  that  the  company  should 
engage  in  the  transportation  business. 

The  corporation  was,  however,  to  l)e  a  close  one 
and  a  special  jjrovision  was  made  wherel^y  any  stock 
seeking  a  purchaser  must  be  offered  to  tlie  other 
stockholders.  This  was  too  good  a  thing  to  afford 
even  a  taste  to  outsiders. 

The  first  meeting  was  called  for  September  14, 
1836,  at  seven  o'clock  in  the  evening  at  the  inn  of 
Augustus  I^von.  The  name  of  that  inn,  which  was 
one  of  the  stage  stops  on  the  mail  route  between  Xew 
York  and  Boston,  was  ''The  T^^Iansion  House,"  since 
known  as  the  Lenox  House.  Here  all  the  inc()r))o- 
rators  gathered  an.d  evidently  without  any  lawyer, 
because  all  they  did  was  to  sign  the  ai'ticles  of  incor- 
poration. There  appears  to  have  })een  no  election 
of  officers  or  directors.  However,  we  can  imagine 
what  a  jolly  time  these  young  men  had  in  the  front 
room  of  the  inn  that  September  night.  They  all  jnit 
up  their  money,  and  in  due  time  the  land  was  con- 
veyed and  in  the  following  month  "Bill  Hen"  Holly, 
of  Stamford,  as  everybody  called  him,  made  the  sur- 
vey and  map. 

The  following  Spring  sales  began  to  be  made,  but 

[260] 


ROCKV  NECK— THE  SILLECK  HOUSE 

tliey  were  not  vvvy  aetixe  and  many  times  tlie  owners 
were  almost  diseouraoed. 

It  is  not  unreasonable  to  suppose  that  most  of  the 
buyers  were  (hseouraged  too,  for  Captain  Al)raliam 
Brinckerhoff,  wlio  hou^lit  one  of  tlie  lots  fi'om  the 
ma]).  (liseovered   when  he  made  his  way   in   between 


RESERVED  lOl  l\  lS7(i  SHOWIXCI  EPHRAIM  READ  HOME- 
STEAD !N  lOKI'.CHOrXD  AND  THE  .MAUHI.K  HOUSE 
BEYOND 

the  rocks  and  trees,  that  in  order  to  reaeh  his  lot  he 
would  have  to  liuy  two  more. 

The  map  shows  one  acre  reserved  on  the  extreme 
]3oint.  Tliis  was  afterwards  known  as  the  l^iphriam 
Head  pro])ei'ty  and  includes  the  Indian  Harljor 
yacht  club  house  and  ^^rounds  and  the  cotta<»-e  sites 
on  the  east  side  of  the  road,  built  by  Charles  T.  \Vills, 
now  owned  by  the  Indian  Harl)or  yacht  club.  The 
incorjjorators  all  af>rce(l  that  the  reservation  should 
l)e  made,  but  no  two  of  them  thought  alike  as  to  the 
pui-pose  of  the  reservation.      One  wanted  it  for  a  com- 

[201] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 

moil  cow  pasture,  after  the  trees  were  removed,  for 
tlie  use  of  those  who  might  hiiy  and  huild  on  the  lots. 
Anotlier  suggested  that  such  a  dense  forest  would 
supi^ly  sufficient  firewood  for  all  who  might  huy 
lots.  Another  urged  the  erection  of  a  cider  mill. 
William  A.  Husted  thought  that  the  lumber  could 
be  shipped  to  New  York  at  a  large  profit  and  the 
cleared  ground  used  for  an  apple  orchard.  Col. 
JNIead  [who,  by  the  w^ay,  had  no  such  title  then,  but 
was  just  Thomas]  and  Solomon  JNIead  thought  that 
as  the  reservation  had  been  made,  there  was  no  imme- 
diate necessity  of  passing  upon  the  (juestion  of  its 
disposition.  They  thought  that  would  take  care  of 
itself,  and  indeed  it  did. 

Four  of  the  company  built  potato  cellars  where  the 
Silleck  House  now  stands.  They  were  built  with 
openings  at  either  end,  like  the  one  on  Round  Island, 
which  bears  the  date,  1827.  These  cellars  belonged 
to  Solomon  ^lead,  Thomas  A.  ^lead  and  Zaccheus 
JNIead,  Jr.,  but  it  is  uncertain  who  owned  the  fourth 
one.  The  Silleck  House  was  erected  over  these  very 
cellars  in  18.38,  just  one  year  after  they  were  built. 

This  building,  a  small  affair,  owned  by  Jared 
^lead,  proved  to  be  unsuccessfid.  Situated  near  the 
shore  witli  a  dense  forest  on  three  sides,  it  was  an 
ideal  spot  for  a  cpiiet  summer  retreat.  The  trouble 
with  the  "White  House,"  as  ^Ir.  Mead  called  it.  was 
due  to  the  fact  that  table  sup])lies  were  difiicult  to 
obtain.  At  that  time  there  was  no  market  in  Green- 
M^ch.     To  supply  the  table  with  meat  it  was  Jared 

[262] 


ROCKV  NEC  K— THE  SILIJX  K  TTOUSE 

Mead's  custom  to  ])iirchase  lambs  and  calves  of  the 
farmers  and  butclier  tliem  on  tlie  premises.  Vege- 
tables were  secured  at  the  market  sloops.  15 utter 
was  difficult  to  buy  as  tlie  farmers  preferred  to  send 
it  to  Xew  York.  The  cows  were  pastured  on  Field 
Point,  assuring  a  good  supply  of  milk  and  cream. 
The  water  was  l)rought  from  one  of  the  Field  Foint 
springs,  there  being  no  well  near  the  hotel.  Apples 
were  free  to  anyone  who  would  gather  them. 

]Mr.  jNIead  had  a  good  class  of  boarders  at  what 
was  then  thought  to  be  remunerative  prices,  but  he 
found  it  (juite  a  struggle  to  maintain  a  satisfactory 
table.  His  fried  iish,  broiled  lobsters,  succulent  oys- 
ters and  scallops  were  considered  most  ])alatable,  ])ut 
there  always  came  a  time  when  the  appetite  demanded 
fresh  meat. 

In  the  spring  of  1849,  when  the  railroad  was  just 
six  months  old,  he  sold  out  to  ^Irs.  Fanny  Runyan 
and  ^Irs.  ^lary  Dennis.  These  ladies,  although  they 
were  joint  owners  of  the  real  estate,  were  ])artners  in 
business  only  one  summer.  On  the  9th  of  February, 
1850,  ]Mrs.  Dennis  sold  out  to  Thomas  Funston. 
His  wife  was  Mrs.  Uunvan's  sister  and  Mi's.  Elbert 
A.  Silleck  is  his  granddaughter. 

In  tlie  winter  of  1851'-.)  u]K)n  the  death  of  jNIrs. 
Funston.  Mr.  Funston  sold  his  interest  to  Thaddeus 
Silleck,  although  he  did  not  take  title  till  May  '25  of 
the  latter  year. 

The  Silleck  Flouse  is  the  oldest  hotel  on  either 
shore  of  the  Soimd  rrom  Sands"  Point  to  Stoiiiiigton. 

[208] 


OTHER  DAYS  IN  GREENWICH 

These  details  have  been  carefully  oathered  for  the 
reason  that  it  has  many  times  been  erroneously  stated 
that  Thaddeus  Silleck  was  the  founder  of  the  hotel 
bearing  his  name  since  1876. 

]Mrs.  Runyan  died  at  Rocky  Neck  Jan.  26,  1913, 
aged  98.  From  her  I  obtained  many  interesting  facts 
about  the  White  House  long  before  the  war.  Imaff- 
ine  board  at  $2.50  per  week!     And  yet  she  and  INIr. 

Silleck  had  many  serious 
conferences  that  first  year 
V  of  their  partnership  over 

the  advisability  of  in- 
creasing the  rate  a  single 
dollar.  But  when  it  was 
done,  to  their  great  sur- 
i,  T^  prise,     nobody     objected 

^^jjl^^B^  ^^^^B    ^''^^y  ^^^  <-'ollect  the  $3.50 

JOHN  (;.  w  1,1.1. STOOD  as  the  old  rate. 

181S-1893  Tl^g  ()}j  registers  show 

feather    of    Town    Clerk    Wellstood 

the  class  oi  boarders  was 
exceptionally  good.  Among  them  were  Prof.  King 
of  Columbia  College,  W.  B.  Taylor,  the  New  York 
postmaster,  Robert  INI.  Bruce,  Horace  Greeley, 
Charles  A.  Whitney,  John  G.  Wellstood,  Charles  G. 
Cornell,  Peter  Asten,  Archibald  Parks,  John  Hoey, 
afterwards  President  of  the  Adams  Express  Co.,  and 
his  talented  wife,  for  many  years  the  leading  lady  at 
Wallack's. 

Years  ago  there  was  a  fascination  al)()ut  Greenwich 

[264] 


ROCKY  NECK— THE  SIEEECK  HOUSE 

that  to  some  extent  lias  disappeared.  'I'lie  place  was 
rather  inaccessible,  the  roads  were  ])()or,  there  were 
no  sidewalks  or  modern  conveniences  of  any  kind, 
bnt  there  was  the  beantifnl  Sound,  serene  skies,  the 
broad  fiehls,  with  no  bar})ed  wire  fences  or  trespass 
signs,  so  that  all  the  ])lessinos  seemed  to  be  individual 
in  which  one's  ownership  was  ])erfect. 

This  is  probably  what  made  (Treeinvich  so  popular 
when  once  established  as  a  place  of  (juiet  enjoyment. 
The  children  and  the  grandchildren  of  many  of  those 
early  boarders  are  still  ])atronizing  the  Silleck  House. 

The  old  land  com})any  has  been  well-nigh  side- 
tracked. I^ict  us  see  how  it  finished.  The  amount 
invested  had  been  small  but  the  stockholders  sighed 
for  dividends,  and  some  were  so  (lisa])])ointed  that 
they  sold  out  to  the  others  at  a  loss.  Hut  the  re- 
served acre  on  the  point  saved  the  day  to  tliose  who 
held  on  and  about  18.50  all  the  land  had  been  sold  at 
constantly  increasing  prices.  Wh.en  the  final  settle- 
ment was  made  there  was  distriliuted  to  the  survivors 
a  net  pi'ofit  of  a  substantial  amount. 

Before  Solomon  ^lead  died,  that  reserved  acre  had 
been  sold  for  about  fifty  thousand  dollars.  How 
much  Solomon  ^Nlead  made  out  of  h,is  first  venture  is 
unknown,  but  he  was  one  of  the  survivors  and  he 
ahva\s  said  he  was  satisfied  with  the  result. 

When  I  look  at  the  map  that  he  folded  away  so 
many  years  ago,  1  am  inclined  to  believe  that  he  re- 
garded th.e  Rocky  Xeck  Land  Co.  as  the  coi-ner  stone 
of  his  great  fortune. 

[263] 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

RAILROADS  IX  THE  EARLY  DAYS 

EARLY  in  the  nineteenth  century  there  was  con- 
siderable activity  in  our  General  Assembly,  in 
granting  charters  to  railroads.  The  turn])ikes  and 
canals  of  the  preceding  century  liad  proved  remu- 
nerative and  it  was  reasoned  that  railroads  as  means 
of  transportation  w^ould  be  still  more  profitable. 

In  1832  the  Norwich  &  Worcester  was  incorpo- 
rated, followed  in  1836  by  the  Housatonic;  the  New 
York  &  New  Haven  in  1844;  the  Naugatuck  in  1845, 
and  the  New  Haven  &  Northampton  in  1846. 

I  am  not  aware  when  these  roads  were  constructed 
but  the  New  Haven  R.  R.  sent  its  first  train  through 
Greenwich  on  Christmas  day,  1848.  Among  the 
passengers  from  New  York  was  AVilliam  Henry 
INIead  and  he  is  the  last  survivor  of  the  Cxreenwich 
people  who  were  on  that  train.  He  was  also  on  the 
first  trolley  car  that  came  up  Greenwich  Avenue, 
August  17,  1901. 

It  has  been  said  that  the  first  construction  of  the 
New  Haven  railroad  was  quite  a  crude  affair.  But  in 
1859  it  was  double-tracked  and  had  in  a  great 
measure  recovered  from  the  financial  difficulties  into 
which  its  first  president,  Robert  Schuyler  of  New 
York,  had  plunged  it. 

[266] 


KAII.KOADS   IX  THE  EARLY  DAYS 

111  the  early  days  a  stoekholder,  and  tliere  were 
many  in  (ireein\  ieli,  was  never  willing-  to  admit  that 
lie  owned  a  share.  Owin^'  to  what  were  termed  the 
"Sehuvler  frauds"  and  also  to  i»Teat  losses  oeeasioned 
hy  the  Xorwalk  disaster  whieh  oeeurred  ^lay  0,  1853, 
when  a  train  ran  into  an  o])en  draw  and  killed  fifty 
passengers,  the  stoek  had  very  little  value.  At  that 
time  Justin  1{.  Hueklev  of  New  \'()rk  was  ])resi(lent 


■-*, 


--«& 


I.(K'().M()1"I\K    XO.   27 
X.   Y.   &    X.    H.    R.    R. 


and  among  the  directors  were  Capt,  William  L. 
Eyon  of  (xreenwieh  and  J.  \V.  I^eeds  of  Stamford. 

Capt.  Eyon  owned  and  occupied  what  is  now  known 
as  the  John  Voorhis  homestead  on  Putnam  Avenue, 
with  extensive  gai'dens  and  lawns  extending  along 
(xreenwieh  Avenue  as  far  south  as  the  garage  of 
Allen  l^rothers.  He  was  the  grandfather  of  I^ike 
Yincent  Lock  wood. 

James  H.  lloyt  of  Stamford  was  Superintendent 
and  lie  possessed  greater  ])ower  and  influence  in  the 

[267] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 


management  of  the  road  tlian  the  president,  wlio  was 
little  known  in  Conneeticut.  Snperintendent  Hoyt 
was  the  father  of  George  H.  Hoyt,  who  began  his 
bnsiness  career  as  ticket  agent  in  the  Stamford  station 
and  at  the  time  of  liis  death  had,  for  many  years,  l)een 
president  of  the  Stamford  Savin^gs  Bank. 

The  rails  were  light,  rarely  meeting  at  the  ends, 
being  plugged  with  a  block  of  wood.     The  rails  rested 

on  wliat  were  called 
"chairs"  and  were  not 
fastened  so  as  to  make  a 
practically  continuous  rail 
as  at  present.  To  travel 
on  such  a  railroad  re- 
quired considerable  forti- 
tude as  well  as  patience. 

Greenwich  had  seven 
trains  each  way  in  1859 
and  no  Sunday  trains. 
Tliere  were  five  trains  to 
Xew  York  in  the  morning,  namely  the  .5.20,  6.36,  7. '21, 
8.87  and  11.30.  The  7.21  was  the  popular  morning 
train,  used  by  the  commuters,  of  wdiom  there  were  a 
very  limited  number.  Of  these  I  recall  Robert  INI. 
Bi-uce,  John  G.  Wellstood,  Charles  A.  Whitney, 
Moses  Christy,  Luther  Prescott  Hubbard  and  Henry 
M.  Benedict. 

From  Xew  A^ork  the  first  train  left  Twenty-seventh 
Street  at  7  a.  m.  The  cars  were  drawn  up  Foiu'th 
Avenue — four  horses  to  eacli  car — to  32nd  Street  [a 

[268] 


MOSES  CHISTY 

1S17-1884 


RAILROADS  IX  THE  EARLY  DAYS 

little  later  to  42n(l  Street]  whei-e  a  wood  l)iii-iiiii^>- 
engine  was  attaehed.  Tliiiik  of  siieli  a  tliin^'  liapjjeii- 
ing  now  in  front  ol'  the  iie\\   X'anderhilt  Hotel! 

The  first  stop  was  at  Willianishridge  at  7.-57.  This 
was  originally  the  nortb.ern  terniinns  of  the  Harlem 
railroad,  the  first  railroad  built  out  of  New  York,  and 
on  tlie  nortli  side  of  the  traek  may  still  he  seen  the 
remains  of  the  foniidation  of  tlie  old  turntahle. 

The  stations  following  were  ^Nlt.  Yernon,  Xew 
Roehelle.  ]Mamaroneek.  Rye  and  Port  Cliester.  reaeh- 
ing  Green wieh  at  8,21.  There  were  no  sueh  stations 
as  Columbus  Ave.,  125th  St.,  Pelham,  Larchmont  or 
Harrison.  There  was  at  that  time  no  South  Nor- 
walk.  but  at  the  Xorwalk  station  a  horse  ear  line 
ran  to  the  Rorough  of  Xorwalk. 

The  time  table  of  that  year,  a  bit  of  yellow  paper, 
printed  on  both  sides  and  only  six  by  ten  inehes  in 
size,  is  among  my  possessions.  The  diff'erenee  be- 
tween that  modest  little  affair  and  the  thi'ough  time 
table  of  to-day.  with  its  sixty-two  pages,  represents 
the  difiference  in  the  importanee  of  the  road  then  and 
at  the  present  time. 

This  was  before  the  days  of  eonsoliilations  and  tlie 
inconveniences  of  trans]Jortation  of  half  a  century 
ago  b.ave  been  eliminated  by  the  union  of  eoi'poi'ations. 

We  take  a  parloi*  ear  at  Xew  ^'oi-k.  and  in  five 
hours,  having  had  all  the  eomfoi'ts  of  a  delightful 
journey,  step  out  at  the  South  Station  in  I'oston. 
Rut  on  this  little  yellow  time  table  there  is  no  assur- 
ance that  the  Roston  express — there  were  two  daily — 

[269] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREEXWICH 

would  ever  carry  you  beyond  Xew  Haven.  That 
was  the  end  of  tlie  Hne  and  upon  arrival  you  were 
turned  over  to  another  road.  If  the  trains  made 
good  connections  you  might  expect  to  reach  Boston 
in  seven  hours,  including  ten  minute  stops  for  refresh- 
ments, at  such  points  as  Hartford,  Springfield  and 
Worcester.  You  were  in  charge  of  a  new  set  of 
trainmen,  without  uniforms,  and  you  jogged  on  over 
a  rough  roadbed,  dodging  hot  cinders  from  the  engine 
and  swaying  back  and  forth  in  the  narrow  rigid  seats. 

There  existed  scarcely  a  community  of  interest 
between  the  Xew  Haven  road,  seventy-two  miles 
long,  and  the  other  roads  of  the  State.  The  first 
train  out  of  Xew  York  left  at  7  a.  :\i.  and  passengers 
for  the  Danbury  &  Xorwalk  R.  R.  were  told  to 
take  that  train  and  change  cars  at  Xorwalk.  The 
same  remark  was  made  of  the  Housatonic,  the  Xaug- 
atuck  and  Xew  London  R.  R.  Companies.  Each 
was  an  independent  concern,  never  waiting  beyond  its 
time  of  departure.  The  Xew  Haven  road  simply 
suggested,  but  not  in  words,  "we  will  take  you  where 
you  can  find  another  railroad  and  you  take  your 
cliances." 

But  the  road  was  making  money  and  paying  ten 
per  cent  dividends,  with  a  good  surplus  in  the  treas- 
ury. Indeed  the  law  makes  it  compulsory  to  pay  to 
the  State  all  railroad  earnings  in  excess  of  ten  per 
cent  unless  the  same  is  required  for  equipment  or 
roadbed.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  the  State  has 
never  received  a  dividend.      Tliere  were  enough  op- 

[270] 


RAILROADS  IX  THE  EARLY  DAYS 

})()rtiiniti(,s  to  make  iiiiproveiiR'nts  and  otic  of  these 
was  in  new  locomotives. 

When  No.  27  came  out  the  directors  gave  Currier 
iv:  Ives  of  New  York  a  commission  to  make  litho- 
grapli  ])iMnts.  in  coloi's.  of  tlie  engine  and  tliey  were 
o'iven  awav  to   friends  of  tlie  road.     It  was  a  light 


CIM'.lvWVlCII    n.    U.    STATION    ISoO 

affair,  with  a  great  ludging  smoke  stack,  the  (Ii'i\ing 
wheels  painted  a  gay  I'cd.  hut  half  the  weight  of  an 
oi'dinary  yard  engine  of  the  present  day. 

In  the  spring  of  18(58  two  j)arlor  cars  were  put  on 
the  Hoston  ex])ress  trains.  These  it  was  believed 
would  add  matci-ially  to  the  comfort  of  the  traveler. 
These  cars  were  of  the  English  Coach  model.  di\  ided 

[273] 


OTHER  DAYS  IN  GREENWICH 

into  compartments  with  a  door  from  each  opening 
onto  the  running  board.  They  were  called  "New 
York"  and  "Boston"  and  left  each  city  about  eight 
o'clock.  They  were  supplied  by  the  Wagner  Parlor 
Car  Co.  They  were  never  popular  and  the  following 
year  one  was  destroyed  in  a  train  shed  fire  and  the 
other  was  withdrawn. 

The  club  car  was  unknown  in  those  days  but  cer- 
tain commuters  who  desired  to  play  cards  occupied 
their  own  camp  chairs  in  the  baggage  car.  These 
chairs  were  in  charge  of  the  baggage  master,  who  had 
little  else  to  do,  and  his  compensation  was  a  generous 
Christmas  collection.  This  w^as  the  origin  of  the 
present  club  car  service. 

The  location  of  the  Cireenwich  station  in  1859  was 
about  seventy  feet  north  of  the  present  site  but  the 
building  now  in  use  is  the  same,  enlarged  and  im- 
proved, when  the  four  tracks  were  laid  in  181)8. 

It  was  a  quiet  spot,  where  that  old  station  stood 
fifty  years  ago.  Heiu"y  Sackett's  great  farm  barn 
across  the  road,  south  of  where  the  Daly  building 
now  stands,  gave  fortli  an  aroma  of  the  country  as 
the  passengers  left  the  train  and  walked  past  it  on  a 
lane  twelve  feet  wide  to  (xreenwich  Avenue.  There 
w^as  always  one  hack  in  attendance,  owned  and  oper- 
ated by  AVilliam  Elliott.  He  was  a  man  of  various 
responsibilities,  for  besides  being  the  hackman  he 
was  the  ticket  agent,  baggage  master  and  hotel  pro- 
prietor. He  was  just  such  a  bustling  type  of  thin, 
sinewy   man   as   one   finds   to-day   occui)yin<';   similar 

[274] 


RAILROADS  IN  THE  EARLY  DAYS 

positions,  at  remote  little  stations  in  Maine  and  Xew 
Hampshire. 

In  those  days  there  was  no  tele<^'ra])h  station  and 


W  Il.l.IA.M    H.   WALLACE 
At    a. lie   of    U) 

it   was  years  after\\ai-(!s  before  the  Adams  Kxjjress 
Co.  took  any  notiee  of  (rreenwieh. 

It  was  Ml'.  Klhott's  enstcm  to  sit  on  tlie  station 
platform  din'inL>-  the  lono  snmmer  days,  li«>htino-  flies 
and  do/ino-  away  the  time  between  trains,  while  the 
boys  wonld  sneak  up  beliind  him  and  tiekle  bis  ears 

[275] 


OTHER  DAYS  IN  GREENWICH 

with  a  timothy  head.  When  tliey  tired  of  this,  they 
would  ()■()  down  under  tlie  stone  arch,  after  which  the 
street  has  since  l)een.  named,  and,  hurrvino-  alonu'  the 
dusty  road  in  their  haste  to  get  into  the  water  at 

the  liead  of  the  creek,  shed 
their  clothing,  one  ]:)iece 
after  another,  until  there 
was  scarcely  a  i^ause  be- 
fore they  were  nude  and 
immersed. 

15ut  the  boys'  fun  was 
considerably  curtailed  af- 
ter ^Ir.  Elliott  employed 
William  H.  AYallace  as 
an  assistant.  Although 
"'Billy"  Wallace  was  then 
only  sixteen  years  old  he 
felt  the  responsibilities  of 
his  position  and  the  boys 

CHARLES    H.   WRIGHT  J^^d  to  stoi)  fooHug  arouud 

Age   of   24  •  1   1  1    • 

1834.-1878  the  station,  although  it  was 

several  years  before  the  swimming  hole  was  aban- 
doned. 

There  wasn't  much  for  young  Wallace  to  do  but 
paint  the  chairs  and  scrub  the  floors,  but  he  made  the 
old  station  such  a  model  one  that  it  attracted  the  at- 
tention of  the  officials.  His  reputation  for  cleanli- 
ness must  have  been  well  established  among  the  school 
children,  for  I  know  that  the  following  incident  actu- 
allv    occurred:     One    dav    Charles    H.    Wright,    the 

[27(1] 


RAILROADS  IX  THE  EARLY  DAYS 


])riiK'ipal  of  Ww  public  scliool,  was  walking-  aloii^-  tlu- 
track  with  a  favorite  scholar.  The  siiiiinier  sun  was 
just  sinking-  in  the  west  as  tlie  man  and  l)oy  looked 
ahead  at  the  glittering  rails  and  exclaimed  "I low 
beautiful!"  At  their  feet 
the  iron  was  (lull  and  tar- 
nished hut  where  the  sun- 
light struck  th.em,  in  front 
of  the  station  and  down 
at  the  Field  Point  cross- 
ing, the  rails  shone  hke 
burnished  silver. 

"It  is  the  finger  of  God 
in  the  sunshine,  my  boy. 
that  turns  this  homely 
iron  to  those  threads  of 
silver,"  said  the  teacher. 
The  boy  replied.  'Oh.  no. 
scouring  'em." 

However,  Mr.  W^allace  secured  the  confidence  of 
the  officials  and  became  the  first  baggage  master  at 
the  station.  Then  he  succeeded  ^Ir.  Elliott  as  ticket 
agent  and  from  freight  conductor  to  conductor  of  one 
of  the  finest  through  ti-ains,  he  finally  became  assist- 
ant snpei"intendei>t.  which  position  he  held  for  many 
years,  with  an  otfice  at  New  Haven.  lie  died  at  his 
home  on  Milbank  Avenue  A])i'il  .5.  10()(). 

In  those  days  tliere  were  no  through  freight  trains: 
one  local  that  I'an  down  in  the  forenoon  and  back 
at  nigiit.      C'oiwhictoi"  .Jones   was  in  chai'ge  with  old 

[277] 


W  n.l.l  AM    II.    WALLACE 
As    Avst.   Sunt.    N.   v..   X.   H.  &  H. 
H.    1{. 

Rillv  AYallace  has  been 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 

engine  Xo.  10.  He  knew  everybody  on  tlie  line  and 
after  his  freiglit  was  loaded  he  was  sometimes  reluc- 
tant to  leave  till  an  especially  good  story  was  told. 

The  milk  train  down  at  10.30  at  night  was  some- 
times used  by  passengers  who  occupied  the  caboose. 

The  conductors  and  brakemen  were  not  compelled 
to  wear  a  uniform,  the  only  mark  of  their  official  posi- 
tion being  a  piece  of  metal,  fastened  to  the  front  of 
the  cap  marked  "Conductor"  or  "Brakeman."  But 
the  conductor  then  had  all  the  responsibility  of  run- 
ning his  train,  while  now  the  trains  are  controlled  by 
the  tower  men.  They  were  often  the  recipients  of 
presents  from  commuters  in  the  form  of  gold  watches 
and  lan.terns  of  rich  cut  glass,  bearing  the  name  of  the 
official. 

The  cars  were  low,  and  covered  with  a  flat  roof,  with- 
out ventilators,  with  very  small  windows  and  lighted 
by  four  coach  lamps  containing  coal  oil.  This  ab- 
sence of  light  required  the  conductor  to  have  a  lantern 
on  his  arm  wliile  punching  and  collecting  tickets  and 
reading  liy  the  passengers  was  impossible.  At  each 
end  of  the  car  was  a  long  wood  stove,  by  the  side  of 
which  was  a  Avood  box,  usually  filled  with  white  birch. 
The  brakeman  attended  to  the  fire  and  "l)roke"  the 
train  at  the  call  of  the  engineer  by  two  sharp  whistles. 

Every  train  carried  a  "water  boy"  whose  duty  it 
Mas  to  go  through  the  train  occasionally  and  su])ply 
the  passengers  with  water  carried  in  a  tin  receptacle 
resembling  a  watering  pot,  without  the  rose,  and  sur- 
rounded  by   lialf   a    dozen   glasses   in   tin   brackets. 

[278] 


RAILROADS  TX  THE  EARLY  DAYS 

JNlany  of  the  old  time  coiiductors  rose  tVoin  the  liimihle 
post  of  water  })oy.  eiiteriiii*-  the  service  at  tlie  a<Je  of 
fourteen. 

It  was  certainly  no  easy  task  to  travel  and  yet  I 
recall  one  occasion  when  I  rode  with  my  father  over 
the  "Old  Colony  &  Newport  R.  R.,"  such  rolling  stock 
as  1  h.ave  descrihed  was  referred  to  as  the  "luxuries  of 
travel"  and  so  it  was  in  comparison  to  the  sta<4'e  coach 
and  canal  which,  as  means  of  transportation,  had  been 
a})andoned  but  comparatively  few  years. 


i.ooKiNi;  DOWN  'nil-:  haimjop,   is:,!)  i-kom   xkak  n.  n. 

SI  AIIOX 


[279] 


CHAPTER  XXV 

RIVERSIDE  AND  SOUND   BEACH 

T3KI()R  to  1870  Riverside  was  unnamed  and 
^  Sound  Beach  was  Old  (xreenwicli.  A  century 
earlier  it  was  "Old  Town/'  All  that  portion  of  the 
town  now  known  as  Sound  Beach  is  historic  ground. 
In  1()4()  it  was  called  jNIonakawaye,  that  name  ora du- 
ally limiting  itself  to  the  point,  which,  a  few  years 
later,  became  Elizabeth  Xeck,  wliich  name  it  retained 
for  many  years.  Later,  it  l)ore  the  name  of  Old 
Greenwich  Point  and  J.  Kennedy  Tod  calls  it  Innis 
Arden. 

It  received  its  first  Eno-lish  name  from  Elizabeth 
Feaks,  who.  under  the  first  Indian  deed,  became  a 
part  owner  of  that  territory  and  with  lier  husband, 
John  Feaks,  lived  on  the  beautiful  ])()int.  "Good  ]Ma 
Feaks."  as  she  was  called,  was  a  daughter  of  John 
Winthrop,  who  was  Governor  of  ^Massachusetts  with 
little  intermission  from  1630  until  his  death  in  KJ-tl). 
She  and  her  husband,  with  Ca])t.  Daniel  Patrick, 
Capt.  John  Underbill,  Jeff're  Ferris,  and  a  few 
others,  were  the  first  settlers  of  Greenwich  and  they 
established  themselves  along  the  shore  of  the  Sound. 

I'atrick  and  l^nderhill  were  fiiihtin"-  characters  and 
gallantly   shared   with   Capt.   John   ^lason,   another 

[280] 


lUVKKSIDE  AND   SOIXD  BEACH 

fi<>"htiii(>'  man,  the  hardships  and  liiorics  of  the  Pc'(|ii()t 
War  in  16.37.     The  other  settlers  were  men  of  peace. 

Feaks  and  Patrick  came  to  (xreenwich  early  in 
1()4<0.  Tliey  \vcrc  actiii<»'  nnder  the  authority  and  in 
behalf  of  the  Colony  of  Xew  Haven  and  they  at  once 
()])ened  negotiations  witli  the  Senawaye  Indians  for 
the  |)iii'chase  of  hind  foi'  a  settlement.  The  red  men, 
caring  less  for  land  than  for  coats  and  blankets,  were 
(jnitc  willing  to  pai't  with  their  ancient  possessions, 
and  on  July  18.  1()4(),  they  formally  executed  to  Feaks 
and  Patrick  a  conveyance  of  a  large  tract  including 
all  of  what  is  now  Sound  Beach.  Th.is  deed  was  un- 
recorded for  forty-five  years,  when  it  took  its  place  in 
Vol.  1,  page  1,  of  the  Greenwich  Land  Records,  where 
the  copy  now  is.  yellow  and  faded  with  age  but  per- 
fectly legible,  under  a  magnifying  glass,  and  signed 
by  old  Amogorone,  whose  name  is  now  associated 
with  the  (Treenwich  Fire  Department. 

In  the  early  sixties  there  was  nothing  but  open 
fields,  beautiful  trees,  alon.g  the  highways  and  a  mag- 
nificent view  at  Sound  Beach.  Of  course  it  had 
farmers  and  they  were  prosperous,  because  the  soil 
was  wonderfully  ])roductive — the  ])lace  often  being 
called  the  garden  s])ot  of  (Greenwich.  The  soil  is 
black,  free  from  ledge  oi-  bowlder  and  ^^■ell  adapted 
to  the  cultivation  of  celery,  strawberries  and  aspar- 
agus. A\'h,cn  it  \\as  out  of  season  on  the  farm  there 
was  an  oyster  boat  in  the  cove  near  by,  for  the  Sound 
Beach  farmer  ])l()we(l  the  sea  as  well  as  the  land. 

The  old  I'V-n-is  homestead,  still  standing,  was  at  the 

[•281] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 

entrance  gate  of  tlie  Sound  shore,  where  scallops  in 
large  quantities  were  caught  after  the  first  of  October. 
During  the  warm  summer  days  after  the  hay  had 
been  gathered  and  the  potatoes  hoed  for  the  last  time, 
the  farmers  from  Greenwich  and  Stamford,  and  some 

even  from  Bedford,  made 

it   a   i^oint   to   give   their 

„-,  ^  families  an  outing  on  the 

I   *'  broad  beach  or  thev  would 

camp  out  for  a  week  or 

^,.'_^'  two  un.der  the  great  oaks 

X     .    ,^  that  grow  on  the  point. 

Riverside  had  no  rail- 
road  station   until  about 
1870.      Both   the   station 
i.UKE  A.  LOCKWOOD  and  the  post  office   were 

1833-1905  established    through    the 

efforts  of  Jeremiah  W.  Atwater  and  Luke  A. 
Lockwood.  ^Ir.  Atwater  and  his  family  came 
to  Greenwich  from  Brooklyn  and  bought  a  house 
and  lot  of  Titus  ^Nlead  on  February  27,  186.5. 
The  place  was  located  on  the  west  side  of  Xorth 
Street  and  is  now  owned  by  William  F.  H.  Eock- 
wood.  ]\Ir.  Atwater  was  a  commuter  on  the  railroad, 
having  a  real  estate  office  in  New  York.  Some  three 
or  four  years  afterwards  he  moved  to  what  is  now 
Riverside  and  began  the  active  development  of  that 
part  of  the  town.  He  bought  large  tracts  at  what 
were  considered  large  prices  but  what  he  sold  brought 
him  a  good  profit.     He  also  engaged  in  house  con- 

[282] 


RIVERSIDE  AXD  SOT  XD  BEACH 

striK'tion.  l)iiil(lino-  some  of  tlie  best  lioiises  in  River- 
side and  tliiis  iin])i-ovinL>'  liis  land  ^^■as  better  able  to 
dispose  of  it. 

He   was    very   ojjtiniistie    and    althouoh    the    hard 


AMASA   A.   MARKS 

lS-25-190:} 

times  of  187'3  and  the  years  that  preceded  the  re- 
sumption of  s])ecie  ])ayments  made  liis  schemes  of 
develo))ment  more  difficult,  he  never  lost  coura<^-e  but 
was  always  confident  tliat  in  the  end  he  would  "come 
in  a  sure  w  inner,"  as,  in  fact,  he  did. 

Luke  A.  Lock^^()od.  a  New  York  lawyer  who  h'ved 
at  the  old  homestead  and  (h'ed  Xo\ember  '20.  1 !)().),  in 

[28:JJ 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 

the  house  in  wliieh  he  was  born,  gave  to  "Sir.  Atwater 
hearty  eneouragement  and  thus  were  estabhshed  the 
raih'oad  station,  a  post  office,  and  St.  Paul's  chapel, 
now  an  Episcopal  Church  independent  of  Christ 
Church,  organized  originally  as  a  private  corporation. 

The  growth  and  importance  of  Sound  Beach  may 
be  largely  attributed  to  the  efforts  of  Amasa  A. 
Marks.  He  was  a  New  York  manufacturer  and 
business  man,  who  came  to  Greenwich  and,  on  Janu- 
ary 12,  1872,  bought  of  Charles  Hendrie,  Jr.,  about 
tw^enty-five  acres  of  shore  front  land  for  $10,500. 
The  price  he  paid  for  the  land  shows  that  he  was  a 
pioneer.  The  man  who  sold  him  the  land  was  a  native 
and  the  old  homestead  still  stands,  a  beautiful 
example  of  an  old-time  mansion. 

INIr.  Charles  Hendrie  had  a  brother,  J.  W.  Hendrie, 
mIio  is  well  remembered  by  his  neighbors  at  Sound 
Beach.  He  was  a  graduate  of  Yale  College,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  famous  class  of  1851,  and  upon  receiving 
his  degree  he  embarked  for  California.  In  the  citv 
of  San  Francisco,  where  he  was  early  a  large  land- 
owner, he  became  rich  from  the  profits  of  the  gold 
mines.  The  law  school  building  at  Yale,  known  as 
Hendrie  Hall,  was  his  gift. 

^Ir.  JNIarks  and  ^Ir.  Hendrie,  who  in  those  early 
days  spent  a  few  montlis  each  year  at  the  old  home- 
stead, cooperated  as  far  as  possible  in  the  improve- 
ment of  the  roads,  the  construction  of  a  new  school 
building  and  in  many  other  ways  made  their  infiuence 
felt  in  the  community.     ^Ir.  ^larks  left  a  son,  Wil- 

[284] 


RIVERSIDK  AND   SOIXI)  RKAC  II 

liaiii  L.  Marks,  who  is  still  a  resident  of  Sound 
Hcacli.  being  the  ])ul)lie  s})irite(l  owner  of  LaddiiTs 
Koek  Farm,  (xeoroe  E.  Marks,  another  son,  who  in 
his  younger  days  was  a  eivil  engineer  in  town,  is  now 
a  resident  of  New  ^'ork  City. 

Tlie  advent  of  tlie  railroad  in  1848  led  many  of  the 
old  residents  to  l)elieve  that  a  station  would  he  loeated 
in  that  neia'hhorliood.  (iilhert  Marshall  resided  in 
the  house  still  standing  nearly  op})osite  the  present 
Sound  Beaeh  station.  He  owned  eonsiderable  land 
in  that  vieinity  and  it  was  his  desire  to  have  a  station 
at  that  ])oint. 

It  is  diliieult  to  imagine  for  whose  aeeommodation 
it  was  re(iuired,  hut  Mr.  ^larshall  was  determined  to 
get  the  station  and  he  got  it — on  the  map.  In  his 
dvcd  of  a  jnirt  of  the  right  of  way  he  had  h.is  lawyer  in- 
sert these  words:  "Said  Company  is  to  esta})lish  a 
"regular  stopping  ])laee  on  said  land  and  if  said  Com- 
"pany  should  fail  to  use  it  as  a  passenger  depot  for 
"tlu-ee  months  at  any  one  time  after  said  road  shall 
"have  been  eom])leted  between  Xew  Haven  and  New 
"York,  then  the  said  laiul  shall  revert  to  and  beeome 
"the  j)i-opei'ty  of  said  Marshall." 

The  old  man  told  me  it  was  just  as  sti'ong  as 
Chai'les  Ilawley  eould  write  it  and  still  the  statioii 
remained  a  ])i-<)mise  uid'ulfilled  for  thirty-one  years 
and  long  after  the  old  man  had  passed  away.  For 
years  before  his  death  I  often  saw  him  standing  at  th.e 
south  dooi-  as  the  ti'ain  rattled  by  looking  as  if  he  was 
still  waiting  and  exp'eeting  the  long-  deferred  statio:). 

[-85] 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

THE    OCTAGON    HOUSE 

THE  Greenwich  Hospital  on  JNIilbank  Avenue 
occupies  land  where  formerly  stood  the  Octagon 
House. 

In  the  spring  of  1859  tliis  house  stood  alone  in  a 
wide  territory  of  farm  land.  It  had  been  built  about 
two  years.  JMason  Street,  then  called  on  a  map  in 
the  Town  Clerk's  office  "First  Avenue,"  had  not  been 
opened  and  JNIilbank  Avenue  from  Putnam  Avenue 
to  Davis  Avenue  was  called  Love  Eane,  sometimes 
JMill  Lane.  South  of  tliat  it  went  by  tlie  name  of 
Second  Avenue. 

Aaron  Woolsey  and  Edwin  ^Nlead  owned  all  that 
tract  north  of  P^lm  Street  bounded  on  the  east  by  INIil- 
bank  Avenue,  on  the  west  by  Green^wich  Avenue  and 
extending  north  to  the  JNIason  property,  now  Lewis 
Street.  This  land  was  all  very  productive  and  from 
the  Octagon  House  was  an  un})roken  view,  south  and 
west  across  fields  of  timothy  and  grain. 

Solomon  S.  Gansey  built  the  house  from  plans 
claimed  by  him  to  be  original.  Pie  said  he  expected  to 
build  a  house  of  an  entirely  new  and  original  style 
of  architecture  and  the  plan  as  first  drawn  showed 
one  more   story  than  was  finally  constructed.      The 

[286] 


THE  OC  TACtOX  house 

third   story   for   lack   of    riiii(ls   was  omitted   and   the 
eupola  oeeupied  its  j)hiee. 

Jaeoh  T.  Weed  h,ad  an  inn  at  the  head  of  Cireen- 
wieli  Avenne.  in  tliose  (hiys.  and  anion^'  tliose  who 
made  the  inn  a  phiee  of  rendezvous,  partiewhirly  Sat- 


in i-:  ocr Acox  iiorsK 

in'(hiy  ni^lits,  was  the  l)uihler.  Mr.  Ciansey.  W'lieii 
Mr.  (xansey  showed  tlie  phms  to  Mr.  AN'eed,  tlie  latter 
sugg-ested  that  tlie  house  he  huilt  out  of  plumh,  so  as 
to  resemble  tlie  leaning'  tower  of  I'i/a.  Mr.  (iansey 
told  Mr.  Weed  that  he  didn't  know  what  lie  meant, 
hut  that  he  had  a  sus])ieion  that  Mr.  AVeed  was 
lau<>hino-  at  him. 

However,  the  house  eonstruetion  went  on  with  its 

[i'S7] 


OTHER  DAYS  IN  GREENWICH 

windows  and  doors  on  eight   sides,  till   it  was  com- 
pleted in  the  imperfect  manner  already  described. 

Brush  Knapp  was  a  native  of  Greenwich  who, 
when  lie  was  a  youth,  had  left  the  Round  Hill  farm 
for  New  York  City.  He  became  wealthy  as  a  whole- 
sale grocer  and  in  1850  retired,  and  purchased  of 
William  E.  I^iyon  seven  acres  and  a  dwelling  house 
on  North  Street,  now  the  property  of  Cornelius 
Mead  and  lately  occupied  by  George  Guion. 

On  the  second  of  April,  1859,  he  bought  the 
Octagon  house  of  George  A.  Palmer  for  $5,0()(),  in- 
cluding one  and  one-half  acres  of  land.  The  same 
month  he  bought  of  Aaron  Woolsey  of  Bedford, 
N.  Y.,  for  $1,500  five  acres  adjoining  his  first  pur- 
chase. At  that  time  the  opening  of  what  is  now  ]Ma- 
son  Street  between  Elm  and  the  present  Lewis  Street 
was  somewhat  uncertain,  as  shown  by  ^Ir.  Knapp's 
deed  which  reads  as  follows: 

"In  case  the  said  Brush  Knapp  and  adjoining 
"owners  shall  deside  to  keep  it  (First  Avenue)  ])er- 
''manently  closed  then  each,  party  shall  own  to  the 
"center  of  said  First  Avenue,  opjjosite  tlie  land  owned 
"by  him." 

It  was  about  ten  years  before  this  portion  of  ^lason 
Street  was  opened  and  it  held  the  name  of  First 
Avenue  till  1881  when  it  was  extended  north  to  Put- 
nam Avenue  and  the  street,  for  its  entire  length, 
named  Mason  Street. 

^Ir.    Knapp  had   been   an   active  business  man   in 

[288] 


TIIK  OCTAGON  HOUSE 

Xew  York  and  for  tliosc  days  had  amassed  a  roi-tune. 
He  was  pleased  with  the  loeatioii  and  siii-i-()im(hii,us  of 
tile  lioiise.  hut  he  often  stated  that  when  the  plaee  was 
new  to  him  he  had  to  take  his  hearinos  with  some  care, 
lest  in  attem])tini>'  to  l>()  out  at  the  fi'ont  door  he 
emerged  at  the  haek  door,  so  eonfusin^-  was  the  eon- 
sti'uetion  of  his  eiL»ht  sided  liouse. 
jNlr.       Kna])p 

was    a    man    of 

excellent    jud;L»"- 

ment     and     was 

acti\'e      in      the 

manayement    of 

Horoui>'h  atfaii's, 

oeeui)yin<^'       the 

position  of  Hur- 

g  e  s  s       ma  n  y 

terms.   His  keen 

business  instinct 

enabled    him    as 

the  15  o  r  o  u  i»"  h 

grew  to  sell  off 

from     time      to 

time  ]jortions  of 

his  original  purehtise  until  he  had  gotten   his  money 

l:aek  several  times  over,  and  still   I'etained   his  home 

\\  ith  ample  gi'ound. 

Wlien  Mason  Sti'eet  was  opened  from  l^hn  Street 

to  Lewis  Street  he  built  one  of  the  first  liousrs  on  the 

[289] 


OTHER  DAYS  IN  GREENWICH 

street,  where  his  daughters,  Amelia  and  JNIartha 
Knapp,  hved  for  a  numher  of  years.  The  h.ouse  is 
now  owned  by  David  K.  Allen. 

In  1885  ]Mr.  Knapp  sold  the  home  to  ^Nlary  War- 
ing ]Mead  and  went  to  live  in  the  jNIason  Street  house, 
where  his  last  days  were  spent. 


[290] 


T 


CIIAPIKl?    XXVII 

TIIK    OLD    .MILL  AT    STON VHKOOKE 

UK  tii'st  house  iioi'tl)  ()['  Cornelius  Mead's  on  the 
road  to  Stanwieh  is  the  home  of  George  P. 
Waterbuiv,  known  as  Stonyliiooke.  and  recently 
purchased  hy  J.  Ilowland  Hunt.  One  hundred  and 
seventy  years  ago  this  road  was  called  the  By- 
field  Road.  X^o  one  knows  why  it  hoi'e  that  name. 
l)ut  it  is  fi'e(juently  mentioned  in  the  early  land  records 
and  may  have  referi'ed  to  a  road  hy  a  field,  at  a  time 
wh.en  cleared  ground  was  rare. 

The  house,  which  stands  on  a  knoll  beneath  an  an- 
cient ehn,  looks  out  across  a  merry  brook  and  down 
a  road,  curving  between  moss-covered  stone  walls. 
Beyond  this  road,  with  its  graceful  cui'\es,  is  a  bi'oad 
stretch  of  meadow,  called  in  the  old  deeds  "the  Hook 
land."  and  still  farther^away  the  ti'ces  of  a  dense 
foi-est  meet  the  sky  line. 

The  first  settler  on  this  sjjot,  tlien  common  land, 
was  Caleb  Mead.  He  was  boi-n  in  KJD.'J  and  ti'adition 
has  it  that  he  was  foi'ty-one  years  old  when  he  built 
the  first  house  at  Stonybrooke.  It  was  on  the  exact 
spot  where  the  })resL'nt  house  stands.  In  17o()  at  the 
age  of  fifty-six  Caleb  Mead  died,  leaving  three  sturdy 
sons,  Caleb.  Jeremiah  and  Titus. 

[291] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 

Caleb,  tlie  father,  left  a  will  hv  whieli  lie  "ave  all 
his  land,  divided  and  undivided,  "lyin*^'  in  (rreenwieh 
Township,  Fairfield  County,  Connecticut  Colony,  in 
New  England,"  to  be  equally  divided  between  his 
three  sons,  above  mentioned.  After  his  deatli  the 
boys  made  division  of  the  land  by  the  exchange  of 
quit  claim  deeds,  and  the  homestead  went  to  .leremiah. 

The  following  year,  17.)1,  Jeremiah  tore  down  the 
old  house,  and  using  some  of  the  old  frame,  built  the 
western  half  of  the  present  house.  Tlie  tire])laces 
in  the  kitchen  and  living-room  and  in  the  chambers 
above  are  suggestive  of  a  time  when  they  were  the 
only  means  of  cooking  the  food  and  wai-ming  the 
house.  The  eastern  half  of  the  house  lias  been  built 
within  the  last  sixty  years.  That  ])()rti()n  of  the 
liou'-e  firs!:  1  uilt,  reveals  massive  oak  beams,  wrought 
iron  nails  and  handmade  latches  and  hinges  that  tell 
of  house  construction  methods  one  hundred  and  fifty 
years  ago. 

It  is  probable  that  about  this  time  the  mill  site  on 
the  ])ro])erty  was  first  utilized. 

While  the  dam  was  relmilt  in  1880  and  bears  that 
date,  it  is  well  known  that  the  new  dam  gave  place 
to  one  of  more  ancient  construction  and  by  some  it  has 
been  claimed  that  Caleb  Mead,  the  first  settlei',  made 
use  of  the  water  ])ower  for  a  cider  mill,  traces  of  the 
foundations  of  which  ai"e  still  pointed  out  in  the 
orchard  south  of  the  house.  It  is  more  likely,  how- 
ever, that  the  first  use  of  the  water  power  was  for  a 
saw    mill.      It    is   known    that   mai»v    of   the   earliest 


y^^^^m/"^ 


y     :v-j^..j,j 


■ft.  ^-^  ■'''.•-:>i:\     '     -    '  - 


Sk^ 


?.  y 


'I*,«s 


VL'-i 


V. 


-•y 


TIIK  OLD  MILL   AT  STOX VKllOOKE 

houses  in  (Greenwich  wvvv  siij)])lie(l  with  iiiatci'ial 
sawed  at  tliat  mill.  Jeremiah  JNIead  i-aii  the  mill  and 
managed  tlie  farm  dmMiio-  his  hfe. 

His  son.  K(hmind  Mead,  taking  n])  tlie  ^^■()^k  after 
his  deatli,  raised  a  family  of  twelve  children.     The  lat- 


l.()\\!:i{     I'AI.I.S.    SIOXVHROOKI': 
Power    for    tlic    cluirn    ;iti(1     icc-crfnin     freezer 

ter  consisted  of  six  hoys — James,  Reuben,  Allen,  Al- 
fred, Kdmund  and  L'vini>-,  and  six  dauo'liters,  Laura, 
Kunice,  Anna,  Lydia,  Kmeline  and  Saiuantlia. 
L^pon  the  third  son,  Allen,  the  father  of  Dr.  Ik-verly 
E.  ^lead,  devolved  early  in  life  the  mana<^ement  of 
the  old  mill.  He  measured  the  lumber  and  thereby 
learned  to  solve  manv  a  mathematical  problem  which 

[295] 


OiHP:R  DAYS  IX  GREEXWICH 

the  school  hoys  of  those  (hiys  could  not  master.  He 
learned  music  when  musical  attainments  were  not 
looked  upon  with  favor  hy  the  liard-working  farmers, 
hut  Allen  caught  many  a  s])are  moment  among  the 
logs  around  the  old  mill  to  study  the  art  of  music 
as  taught  hy  I^owell  ^Mason,  a  famous  Boston  teacher 
who  had  a  class  in  Stamford. 

Later,  the  farm  descended  to  the  son,  Edmund, 
who  ran  the  mill  for  many  years  and  died  at  the  old 
place  M-dv  9,  1893.  He  was  the  father  of  Irving 
^lead  of  Stanwich  and  of  JNIrs.  John  H.  Banks  of  the 
Borough.  It  was  less  than  thirty  years  ago  that  the 
mill  wheel  was  stopped  and  the  old  mill  was  given 
over  to  the  storage  of  plows  and  liarrows.  It  was 
torn  down  ahout  1909. 

The  illustration  shows  how  the  old  huilding  rested 
aaainst  a  i>'reat  tree.  But  for  that  tree  it  would  have 
fallen  several  years  hefore  it  finally  hecame  unsafe. 
It  was  ])rohahly  the  last  of  its  kind  near  the  village 
and  it  was  an  interesting  relic  of  the  generations  that 
have  i>'one  hefore. 


[296] 


SXAI'    SHOTS    AT    S  r(  )XVni{()()K  K 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 

TIIK    OLD    MILL    AT    DAVIS    LANDING 

IX  ail  early  chapter,  reference  lias  been  made  to  tiie 
old  Davis  mill.  It  was  a  <^reat  disappointment  to 
me  that  it  had  to  be  torn  down,  because  I  always 
loved  the  old  mill.  I  caught  eels  under  its  great 
wheel  before  I  was  ten  years  old.  I  dove  from  the 
rocks  into  the  pond,  and  swam  with  the  tide  through 
the  race-way  and  as  I  grew  older  I  fished  for  snap- 
pers from  the  window  on  the  south  side.  I  knew 
every  mysterious  nook  and  cranny  in  the  old  building. 

But  at  last  it  grew  so  weak  with  age  that  it  was 
no  longer  safe  to  allow  it  to  stand.  The  upper  part 
of  the  building  was  sound.  Every  timber  and  ])lank 
in  it  were  hewn  from  the  native  forests  and  the  marks 
of  the  adze  were  visible.  Some  of  the  oak  was  as 
hard  as  })one,  but  tlie  sills  and  the  lower  floor  timbers 
had  for  so  many  years  felt  the  direct  influence  of  the 
salt  water  that  they  were  thoroughly  decayed  and 
there  was  great  danger  of  a  complete  collapse. 

Tlie  mill  was  built  in  ITOo.  At  that  time  Church 
and  State  were  closely  united.  Ecclesiastical  ])rop- 
erty  was  town  property.  The  meeting  house,  as  the 
name  indicates,  was  used  for  })oth  religious  and  secu- 
lar i)ui  poses.  The  minister  was  supported  l)y  the 
taxpayers,  and  the  town  meeting  hired  and  discharged 

[299] 


OTHER  DAYS   IX  GREEN  WRIT 

as  it  saw  fit.  Rev.  Josepli  ^lorgan  was  tlie  minister 
ill  that  year  and  by  a  vote  of  tlie  town,  January  9, 
1704<,  he  was  granted  the  privilege  of  huildiiig  a  mill 
on  Cos  Cob  river. 

The  stream  referred  to  as  Cos  Cob  river  was  some- 
times known  as  Brothers  brook  and  later  Davis'  creek. 
INIany  have  supposed  that  the  river  referred  to  is  the 
creek  at  Cos  Cob,  l)ut  in  this  they  are  mistaken,  as 
that  was  always  called  in  the  records  the  "Myanos 
river." 

The  grant  to  I  uild  the  mill  was  accorded  to  Mr. 
Morgan  with  a  view  to  aiding  in  his  support,  and  as 
a  convenience  to  th.e  inl^al)itants  who  wanted  their 
corn  ground.  But  the  mill  was  very  profitable  and 
it  became  a  serious  question  with  the  deacons  of  the 
church  whether  ]Mr.  ^Morgan  was  not  devoting  less 
time  to  the  spiritual  interests  of  his  parish  and  more 
to  the  running  of  the  mill  tlian  was  best  for  those 
concerned. 

Tlie  town  had  given  to  ^Nlr.  ^Morgan  thirty  acres 
of  common  land  and  a  house  lot  where  the  village  is 
now  located,  and  the  peo])le  thought  he  should  be 
there  most  of  the  time,  rather  than  at  the  mill. 

There  was,  however,  a  dift'erence  of  opinion  as  to 
whether  Mr.  ^lorgan  was  justified  in  his  course  and 
therefore  at  a  town  meeting  held  July  20.  1708,  it 
was  voted  to  leave  the  matter  for  decision  to  the  minis- 
ters of  the  County,  very  much  as  such  differences  in 
these  days  would  be  settled. 

Ebenezer  Mead  and  Caleb  Knapp  were  a])i)()inted 

[800] 


THE  OI>D  :M1LL  at  DAVIS  LANDING 

a  c'oiHiiiittee  to  lay  the  .subject  before  the  united  min- 
istry of  Fairfield  County  and  the  result  was  adverse 
to  Mr.  Morgan.  The  ministers  decided  that  "Sir. 
Moi-oan  oui>ht  to  hire  a  competent  miller,  while  its 
owner  should  attend  to  the  s])iritual  wants  of  his 
parish. 

The  matter  was  decided  with  <4reat  promptness, 
but  Mr.  ^Morgan  showed  a  reluctance  to  yield  and  on 
the  27th  of  Auoust.  ITOS,  the  town  voted  that  Mr. 
JNIorgan  must  obey  or  the  committee  should  hire  an- 
other minister  by  "ye  last  of  September." 

However,  ^Ir.  ^lorgan  held  out  till  the  17th  of 
October,  when  he  gave  up  the  fight,  stuck  to  his  mill, 
and  the  committee  secured  another  preacher. 

The  mill  must  have  been  a  soiu'ce  of  great  profit, 
for  after  Mr.  Morgan's  death  it  was  sold  at  auction 
foi'  a  large  price,  and  what  seems  very  singular  to  a 
man  who  had  no  interests  here — to  a  genuine  out- 
sider by  the  name  of  Valentine.  He  lived  in  Oyster 
Bay,  Long  Island,  then  called  "Nassau  Island."  He 
owned  a  trading  sloop,  that  had  frecpicntly  made  a 
harbor  in  "Chimney  Corner"  and  in  that  way  Capt. 
Valentine  knew  of  the  value  of  the  property  and  was 
])resent  when  it  was  offered  for  sale. 

The  Valentine  family  owned  the  old  mill  till  17()1 
when  it  was  sold  to  Thomas  Davis,  who  also  came 
from  Oyster  bay.  He  ran  the  mill  up  to  the  time  of 
the  Revolutionary  war.  His  two  sons,  Stephen  and 
Fdisha,  ran  it  jointly  during  the  war.  Fdisha  Davis 
Avas  a  Tory  and  secretly  ground  grain  for  the  British 

[.303] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 

fleet  lying-  in  the  Sound.  Stephen  Davis  remained 
loyal  and  at  the  end  of  the  war  the  State  of  Con- 
neeticut.  being  able  to  convict  Elisha  Davis  of  his 
offense,  confiscated  his  property,  which  constituted 
the  undivided  half  of  the  mill. 

Afterwards,  by  an  act  of  the  General  Assembly 
and  in  conformity  with  the  treaty  of  peace  with  Great 
Britain,  Stephen  Davis  bought  back  the  share  which 
had  been  taken  from  his  brother  and  for  many  peace- 
ful years  thereafter  the  wheel  went  round  with  every 
tide  for  the  convenience  of  the  people  and  the  profit 
of  Stephen  Davis. 

For  more  tlian  a  century  thereafter,  the  white- 
aproned  miller  that  lifted  the  sacks  of  grain  in  at 
the  old  Dutcli  door  and  passed  back  the  meal  into 
the  waiting  ox  cart,  was  a  Davis. 

Stephen  Davis  was  laid  at  rest  with  his  father  on 
tlie  hillside,  in  the  woods  just  north  of  the  railroad 
and  was  followed  by  his  sons  and  his  grandsons,  all 
millers.  There  was  Silas,  Walter  the  "Commodore," 
Henry  and  last  of  all,  Edward,  who  died  in  the  winter 
of  1891. 

He  loved  the  old  mill  but  he  realized  that  its  end 
had  come  and  the  day  before  the  demolition  began 
he  went  all  through  it  in  his  half  blindness.  He 
passed  his  hands  over  the  girders  and  the  floor  timbers 
and  stroked  the  long  shingles  as  tliough  they  were 
creatures  of  life  and  knew  him  and  realized  the  part- 
ing hour.  The  warming  pan,  the  old  brass  andirons 
and  tlie  ancient  clock  of  his  forefathers  were  all  in 

[304] 


THE  OLD  MUA.  AT  DAVIS  LAXDING 

the  mill,  l)ut  wei'c  taken  out  with  tender  eare  and  not 
long  since  I  saw  the  eloek.  now  nioi'e  than  two  hnndred 
years  old.  still  tieking  the  time  away  in  the  sho])  of 
Henry  Sehifferdeeker. 

Although  the  old  mill  is  gone,  all  the  surroundings 
are  much  as  they  were  fifty  years  ago.  The  winding 
road  witli  the  wayside  well,  the  picturesque  walls, 
the  granite  howlders,  moss-eovered  and  overgrown 
with  stunted  cedars  and  climbing  vines,  the  bold  and 
wooded  shores  up  and  down  the  creek  all  lend  a  charm 
to  Davis  I^anding  that  the  removal  of  the  old  mill 
has  not  effaced. 


[:io.5] 


CHAPTER  XXIX 

THE    ANCIENT    HIGHWAYS 

THE  highway  commissioner,  Leon  H>  Peck,  says 
there  are  about  one  hundred  and  seventy-five 
miles  of  public  ways  and  streets  in  Greenwich. 

During  the  last  lialf  century  they  have  increased 
in  small  proportion  to  the  growth  of  the  town.  The 
map  of  Greenwich,  from  a  survey  made  in  October, 
1757,  and  April,  1773,  a  copy  of  which  appears  in 
Spencer  P.  INIead's  history,  shows  practically  the 
same  highways  that  are  in  use  to-day. 

As  a  boy  and  youth  I  was  familiar  with  all  the 
roads.  INIany  of  the  old  landmarks  have  disap- 
peared; the  dirt  road  has  been  changed  to  macadam; 
grades  have  been  altered;  ancient  stone  walls  have 
been  sacrificed  to  the  greed  of  the  house  builder  and 
curves  have  been  eliminated  to  accommodate  the 
swift  moving  motor  car. 

I  like  to  think  of  them  as  they  were  in  other  days, 
although  we  are  not  without  artistic  and  beautiful 
highways.  But  fifty  years  ago  all  our  roads  ran 
between  ancient  w^alls  of  granite  bowdders,  softened 
witli  tlie  moss  of  a  century  and  overrun  with  creep- 
ing vines.  The  stone  fences  were  one  of  the  prettiest 
features    of    an     afternoon     drive.      They    were    as 

[306] 


THE  ANCIENT  HIGHWAYS 

crooked  in  their  winding  as  tb.e  track  of  an  adder. 
They  were  stranoely  irregular  in  sluipe;  some  low 
and  some  high;  some  of  small  stones  and  some  of 
massive  bowlders. 

INIany  of  them  would  have  fallen  to  the  ground  hut 
for  the  tenacious  grasj)  of  the  ivy  that  ran  in  and  out 
the  fissures  of  the  rock  and  held  them  like  the  strong- 
est mortar.      Some  of  them  were  so  hui'ied  heneath 


woonsi:^'  koad 

the  foliage  that  oidy  here  and  there  was  revealed 
a  glimpse  of  their  mossy  surface.  It  was  hard  to 
believe  that  they  were  the  creation  of  man.  and  not 
tlie  wild  growth  of  nature. 

JNIany  of  the  roads  were  shaded  and  some  of  them 
were  typical  "woodsy  roads"  where  the  maiden  hair 
fei-n  would  rustle  against  the  s])okes  of  the  wheels 
and  the  overhanging  chestnuts  hi'ush  against  the 
carriage  toj). 

The  farmhouses  all  had  a  look  of  |)i"()si)erity. 
The  massive  chimnevs  were  the  stvle  of  a   century 

[.•i(l71 


OTHER  DAYS  IN  GREENWICH 

before,  when  the  great  open  fireplace  was  the  only 
method  of  heating  the  house.  Some  of  the  fields 
were  rugged  with  rocks.  The  plowman  would 
dodge  between  the  ledges  and  back  and  go  ahead 
again  with  perfect  indifference.  The  soil  was  sweet 
and  warm  between  the  rocks  and  the  harvest  always 
abundant. 

The  houses  were  never  connected,  bv  woodsheds, 


ROUND    HILI.    W(X)DSHED 

wath  the  barns,  as  in  New  Hampshire  and  in  many 
parts  of  Massachusetts.  The  snow  has  never  pre- 
vailed sufficiently  in  these  parts  to  warrant  such  a 
construction  of  farm  buildings  that  a  fire  in  one  of 
them  means  certain  destruction  to  all. 

The  woodshed  was  usually  a  feature  among  the 
farm  })uildings,  although  at  points  near  the  village 
it  had  often  been  degraded  into  a  storehouse  for 
broken  dow^n  farm  implements,  among  wdiich  the 
hens  would  steal  their  nests  and  hatch  their  young, 
out    of    season    and    in    open    defiance.     For    what 

[308] 


THE  AXCIEXT  HTGHWxWS 


farmer's  hoy  would  Imiit  for  eg<>'.s  between  tlie  rusty 

knives  of  disearded   iiiowing  maeliines^      Hut   in   the 

northern  part  of  tlie   town   tlie  woodshed   eontinued 

to      ])erforni      its 

duty  of  a  century 

earlier.       In    the 

I'all      and      early 

winter      it      was 

piled  to  the  roof 

w  i  t  h    seasonioo- 

hickory    and    aj)- 

])le  tree  wood  and 

its    perfume    was 

easily      detected. 

As  the  shades  of 

evening-  came  on 

one  could  see  the 

thin  line  of  wood 

smoke    from    the 

great   chimney 

and      often      the 

odor  of  flap-jacks 

came   out    at    the 

half  open  door. 

The  Greenwich  farmers  always  lived  well.  I  used 
to  note  the  bee  ski])s  about  the  back  yard  and  the 
milk  cans  upon  ])egs  in  the  cleansing  sunlight. 
There  were  vegetable  gardens,  a]j])le  orchaids  and 
melon  ]:)atches.  Hows  of  Mason  jars  in  the  |)antry 
told  of  how  they  had  everything  "in  season  and  out." 

[:io<)J 


ISAAC    HOWK    .Mi;\l) 

Sn;i)is!iot    by    Nelson    15.    .Mead 

18:33-1889 


OTHER  DAYS  IN  GREENWICH 


In  other  days  the  walk  to  Cos  Cob  was  over  the 
Post  Road  unless  one  avoided  the  dust  in  summer 
and  the  mud  in  winter  by  going  "across  lots"  from 
Davis  I^anding  over  the  dam  and  througli  tlie  Isaac 
Howe  JNlead  farm,  now  Bruce  Park.  In  laying  out 
Bruce  Park  care  was  taken  to  preserve  all  the  natural 
and  rustic  features  of  the  place,  but  tlie  removal  of 

the  old  stone  fences  and 
the  construction  of  invit- 
ing drives  has  taken  away 
all  the  seclusion  that  its 
former  inaccessibility  as- 
sured. 

South  of  the  Isaac 
Howe  Mead  farm  was  the 
farm  of  Charles  ]Mead, 
usually  known  as  JNIead's 
Point,  for  it  has  a  magnif- 
icent water  front.  It  had 
yielded  hay  and  grain  to  successive  generations  of 
Meads.  The  ancestral  home  stood  not  far  from  the 
present  house  owned  by  his  sons.  Whitman  S.  JMead 
and  Charles  N.  IMead.  The  old  house,  wliich  was  su- 
perseded by  the  new  house  longer  ago  than  I  can  re- 
memlier,  had  Dutch  doors  and  a  brick  oven  which 
tohl  something  of  the  family  life  of  those  who  lived 
there  more  tlian  a  century  ago.  Like  all  Greenwich 
farms,  it  had  its  potato  cellar  and  once  on  tlie  key- 
stone of  its  arch  1  dug  the  moss  from  the  words 
"Noah  JNIead,   1812."     The  marks  of  the  chisel  re- 

[310] 


CHARLES  MEAD 
1813-1898 


THE  ANCIENT  HIGHWAYS 


vealed  tlic  hand  of  a  hoy  wlu)  like  tlie  hoys  of  to-day 

had  left  his  name  and  the  date  for  fiitnre  oenerations 

to  read.     The  same  hoy 

lived  to  honored  manhood 

and   died   at   the   age  of 

seventy-seven. 

Isaac  Howe  INIead  lived 
in  the  tii'st  hriek  house 
hiiilt  in  Cxreenwieh.  It 
stood  near  the  road  in 
front  of  the  present  home 
of  William  II.  Truesdale. 
Along  the  lane,  for  the 
road  was  scarcely  more, 
where  this  house  stood,  the  oaks  are  very  old  a!ul  thrifty 
and  even   in  tliese  days  artists  find   many  a  suhject 


EDWAKI)    MKAI) 

]S()!)-1HS,5 


i;i)\\  AIM)    mi: AD    IIO.MI  SI  I.  \l) 

P.uilt   is;}j 

for  their  hrush.  Cos  Coh  harhor  and  the  Sound  are 
in  ])lai?i  sight  and  to  the  northwest  one  could  look 
across  the  fields  and  over  the  tree  tops,  now  within 

[311] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 

tile  enclosure  of  ^Milbauk,  to  the  village  with  its  tall 
chiireli  spire. 

Just  north  of  the  Isaac  Howe  Mead  house,  on  the 
same  road,  was  a  square  white  house  still  standing, 


.iOSKl^H   BRUSH 
179:2-1870 


but  now  suri'ounded  by  other  dwellings  which  was 
the  lionie  of  Lyman  jNlead.  He  was  prominent  in 
town  affairs  for  many  years,  and  a  member  of  the 
Legislature. 

A  little  farther  along,  through  a  road  that  retains 

[31-.']    ■ 


THE  ANCIENT  TITGTTWAVS 

all  of  its  fornuT  beauty,  is  the  old  Post  Road  at  Cos 
Col).  ()p])(!sitL'  the  junction  of  these  roads  stands 
one  of  the  old-time  mansions,  with  its  four  i^reat 
chimneys  and  its  chaste  and  artistic  fi'ont  dooi-  im- 


-►^ 


^  •^'WiM 


JOSI'.PH    BKLSH    HO.MESTKAI)    lU  ILT    IN    THK    .MIMDIJ':    OF 
THK    KICHIEKXTH    CKXTURY 

'I'liis  house  and  tlic  |-',])liraiiii  I.. •me,  James  War:ng,  and  IJoliei't  ("ark 
houses  were  the  lionies  at  (ine  tinic  of  fifty-three  children.  In  the 
Brush  Homestead  were  born  all  of  the  fourteen  childicn  in  the  family 
with    the    cxcciition    of    Amos,    llie    eldest,   who    was    horn    in    llorscneck 

nioi'tali'/ed  hy  \nttin<j,'.  the  artist.  It  heai's  the  date, 
1HH2.  The  liome  of  Edward  Mead,  for  many  years 
it  was  the  center  of  the  social  life  of  earlier  days 
when  all  the  childi'en  were  there  to  join  in  the  merry 
times  that  cannot  be  foro'otten.  There  is  only  one 
Cos  Cob  in  the  world,  and  that  is  oui'  Cos  Col). 

[818] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREEXWICH 

A  few  years  ago  some  one — perhaps  more  than 
one — conceived  the  idea  of  changing  the  name  of 
Cos  Coh  to  Bayport.  An  apphcation  was  made  to 
the  Post  Office  Department,  and  the  name  of  the  office 


--iimiimm^.'-s 


HOLLY    LVX,   COS   COB 

was  actually  changed  to  the  very  common  name  of 
Bayport.  But,  fortunately,  the  railroad  company 
declined  to  change  the  name  of  the  station.  The 
school  authorities  chmg  to  the  old  name  for  the  district 
and  poor  little  Bayport  was  only  six  feet  square, 
being  a  small  part  of  a  small  room,  where  the  resi- 
dents of  Cos  Cob  went  for  their  daily  mail. 

There  are  two  very  old  residences  in  the  center  of 
Cos  Cob  and  once  there  was  an  old  tide  mill.  The 
mill,  when  it  was  destroyed  by  fire  January  28,  1899, 
was  one  of  the  oldest  buildings  in  town.     The  two  old 

[314] 


THE  ANCIENT  HIGHWAYS 

residences  are  on  opjjosite  sides  of  the  road,  the  one 
on  the  east  side  hein^-  the  Jose])h  Hrusli  homestead 
which  has  hing  since  heen  ahandoned  as  a  dwellino;. 
Tlie  one  on  tlie  west,  belonf^'infi"  to  Mrs.  Edward  ]*. 


I    \LLS   XKAli     rilK   OI.I)    HOI. I. IXC".    MILL 

Holly,  is  a  popular  inn.  W^ithin  its  walls  are  many  in- 
terestino-  pieces  of  antique  furniture.  The  shinint*' 
brass  knocker,  on  tl'.e  hi-oad  front  door,  the  diminutive 
win(h)w  panes,  tiie  steep  pitch  of  the  rear  roof  and 
the  massive  cliimney  all  tell  their  story  of  the  lon^i' 
ago. 

It  is  said  that  ai'tists  enjoy  this  inn  and  Mr.  Ilohart 
B.  Jacobs  tells  me  that  he  k?iows  of  no  better  oppor- 
tunitv  foi'  the  use  of  pencil  oi'  biMish  than  amid  the 

[315] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 

surr()uiHlin<4's  of  Cos  Col).  The  old  mill  was  a  study 
in  itself  and  many  a  picture  has  been  drawn  of  its 
open  door  with  the  grist-laden  miller  within  and  the 
foaming  water  below,  that  had  "ground  the  grist  and 
will  never  turn  the  wdieel  again." 

An  odd  kind  of  a  mill  is  a  tide  mill,  for  it  will  not 


ELKAXAH   MEAD   HOMESTEAD 

grind  except  at  the  ebb  of  the  tide,  and  to  take  it 
at  the  ebl)  tlie  miller  must  ofttimes  work  at  the  mid- 
night hour. 

Xearby  was  the  Palmer  &  Duff  shipyard.  How 
many  years  it  was  the  center  of  activity  at  Cos  Cob! 
The  click  of  the  ship  carpenter's  hammer  and  the 
smell  of  oakum  will  never  depart  from  my  memory. 

Going  north  from  Cos  Cob,  the  Cognewaugh  Road 
always  had  its  attractions.  It  was  narrow  and 
crooked  and  the  hills  were  steep.  The  trees  hung 
low  and  the  tangled  vines  grew  close  to  the  track 
of  the  wheels.  It  was  along  such  a  road  that  one 
would  expect  to  find  abandoned  farms,  but  there  were 

[316] 


THE  AXCIEXT  HIGHWAYS 


never  any  sueh  raiMiis  in  (ii'eenwieh.  There  were, 
ll()^ve^"el^  a  nnnilici-  ol'  ahaiidoiied  houses  and  on  more 
than  one  oeeasion  I  found  a  sj)ot  where  a  house  had 
sometime  stood  and  nothin^i*'  I'emained  hut  a  L>'narle(l 
clieri  V  tree  and  an  cnergrown  hlac  bush,  ixlies  of 
the  front  dooryard.  The  locust  trees  grew  on  that 
road  and  in  tlie  si)ring  tlie 
air  was  heavy  witli  the 
fragrance  of  their  l)l()s- 
sonis. 

Near  some  of  the  aban- 
doned liouses  were  piles 
of  locust,  in  lengths  for 
posts,  looking  old  and 
storm-beaten  as  though 
they  had  been  entirely 
forgotten  and  had  no 
vahie.  Vears  ago — more  tlian  tifty — these  small 
places  ^^ere  occupied  by  operatives  in  the  rolling  mill 
long  ago  al)andonefl. 

Tlie  Cognewaugh  lload  enters  tlie  North  Cos  Cob 
Road,  not  far  from  the  little  settlement,  with  school- 
house  and  ehui'ch  that  once  went  l)y  tlie  name  of 
Dingletown.  ])erha|)s  because  tlie  cow  bells  were  so 
often  heard  in  that  neighboi'hood.  Not  fai"  away 
was  the  home  of  Klkanah  Mead.  It  was  a  great 
white  house  visible  for  half  a  mile  down  tlie  road. 
Here  he  h\ed  for  forty-eight  yeai's.  He  saw  his 
ehildi'eii.    that    were   spared,   g^o^\■    u|)    to   honoi"   and 

[:U7] 


I'.I.KAXAH   MEAD 

lSlS-1894- 


OTHER  DAYS  IN  GREENWICH 

cherish  him  in  liis  declining  years.  How  much  of 
joy  and  sorrow  came  to  him  in  this  home!  So  much 
that  it  made  him  tlie  sweet-tempered  and  genial  old 
man  that  everyone  loved  and  respected. 

The  heauty  of  Greenwich  is  in  its  valleys  as  well 
as  its  hills.  There  is  much  life  and  warmth  hidden 
in  the  meadows  and  hy  the  hrooksides.  And  in 
other  days  most  of  the  farmers  appreciated  the 
beauties  of  n.ature.  It  is  true  they  were  living  in 
houses,  built  by  earlier  generations,  who  had  had  no 
time  to  look  beyond  the  hay  field.  In  many  instances 
magnificent  views  had  been  obstructed  by  planting 
apple  orchards  or  by  the  erection  of  barns  and  out- 
buildings, when  perhaps  a  hundred  acres  more  de- 
sirable for  such  purpose  had  been  left  open  for  culti- 
vation. But  they  were  always  quick  to  admit  the 
mistake  and  to  point  out  the  prominent  knolls  on  the 
farm,  where  a  view  could  be  obtained  and  where,  in 
many  instances,  have  since  been  built  fine  residences 
for  city  people  who  appreciate  the  country. 

One  of  these  is  Benjamin  T.  Fairchild,  who  bought 
the  sightly  Caleb  W.  JNIerritt  home  at  North  Green- 
wich years  before  the  automobile  had  made  the  place 
accessible  and  furnished  it  throughout  with  Colonial 
furnitiu'e.  He  may  drive  or  ride  one  of  liis  fine 
horses  across  to  Round  Hill,  but  his  automobile, 
never.  Down  in  that  deep  valley,  approached  by  a 
tortuous  road,  runs  the  infant  Byram  roaring  over 
the  rocks  of  an  ancient  millsite.  Here  in  Revo- 
lutionary days  the  military  operations  in  AVestchester 

[318] 


TKE  AXCIENT  HIGHWAYS 

County  and  in  Western  C'onneetieiit  were  conceived 
and  ])lanne(l. 

Tile  old  mill,  which  lono-  ago  disappeai'cd,  was  the 
meetinLi"  place  of  the  Cxenerals  and  on  one  occasion 
in  17H1  W'ashintJ'ton  himself  was  ])i-esent  to  advise 
and  encourage. 

Hound  Hill  was  always  a  fascinating  place.  It 
was  so  quiet,  so  rural, 
so  peaceful.  Perhaps  to- 
day it  has  as  many  attrac- 
tions as  in  the  past,  hut 
they  are  not  (juite  the 
same,  (rrand  mansions,  "^^ 
h  e  a  u  t  i  f  u  1  lawns,  tall 
fences  and  formidahle 
gateways  o  c  c  u  ])  y  t  h  e 
l)laces  of  many  old  houses 
with  well-sweeps  in  the 
yards  and  the  simple  latch 
gates  that  led  out  to  the 
road.  In  th.e  early  morning  hours  the  salty.  ])ungent 
odor  of  the  sea-marsh,  seven  miles  away,  has  often 
heen  home  to  my  nostrils  hy  a  favorahle  wind. 

Perha])s  Saturday  night  in  Hound  Hill  was  no 
different  from  other  weekday  nights  and  yet  some- 
times as  I  drove  through  that  (piiet  hamlet  there  a])- 
peared  evidences  that  the  week's  Avork  had  terminated 
differently  from  that  of  other  nights.  The  farmer 
l)()ys  had  tidied  u])  the  side-har  huggy  and  the  silver- 
mounted   harness,   pre])aratory  to  the   Sunday  drive 

[319] 


CHl'UCH  AT  XORTH 
C.H KKXW K  H  DKSTUOYKD 
I5Y    I 'IKK    DEC".    1.5,    1S9.5 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 

Avith  their  best  girls.  The  carriage  liouse  doors  were 
still  opeji.  while  the  pool  of  water  by  the  grassy  wash- 
stand,  the  rubber  boots  and  the  water-soaked  overalls 


I  J 


ODI.K  C.   KX Al'P 

1815-1888 

dripping  on  their  pegs  told  their  own  story.  Round 
Hill  was  a  village  with  a  store,  a  post  office  and  a 
hill  of  the  same  name.  To  see  the  hill  in  all  its  glory 
one  must  ascend  it  at  high  noon  of  a  clear  October 
day  and  look  at  the  horizon  of  forest,  farms  and  water 
in  one  grand  sweeping  circle.  It  is  now  the  prop- 
ertv  of  the  banker,  William  Stewart  Tod.  but  once 

[320] 


THE  AXCIENT   IIiailWAYS 

ei^'ht  acres  on  the  siiiiimit  helonu'ed  to  Fi-ederiek 
Bonner,  one  of  the  sons  of  Kohei't  Honner.  of  Phila- 
delphia Lcchjcr  fame. 

Fred  Bonner  was  the  ehnni  of  Alexander  Taylor, 
Jr..  and  onee.  when  on  the  hitter's  steam  yaeht,  /S'/.v/- 
l(irh\  eruisino-  in  the  Sound  he  saw  through  the  ii'lasses 
Round  1 1  ill  with  its  sin<>le  apple  tree  at  the  apex. 
Tui-nin_i>'  to  Taylor  he  said.  ''Alex,  do  you  see  that 
land  that  lies  nearer  to  Heaven  than  any  other  in 
sights  1  want  to  huy  it."  And  within  a  month  it 
was  his. 

The  old  stoi'e  at  Round  Hill  stood  on  the  west  side 
of  the  road,  in  those  days,  but  since  it  lias  been 
moved  aci'oss  the  way.  It  beloniJ-s  to  Xathaniel  A. 
Kiiapp,  l)ut  the  name  "().  C  Knap])"  over  the  door 
has  looked  the  same  since  the  son  was  a  baby  boy, 
making"  mud  ])ies  with  his  brothers  and  sisters  in  the 
little    pools   about   the   hitching   posts. 


[321] 


CHAPTER  XXX 

BELI.E    HAVEN 

RECURRING  finally  to  the  farms  which  consti- 
'  tuted  rural  Greenwich  lialf  a  century  ago,  the 
Nelson  Bush  farm,  now  Relle  Haven,  comes  naturally 
to  mind.  In  1882  this  farm  was  put  on  the  market 
at  forty  thousand  dollars.  (Tcorge  H.  and  Henry 
Dayton  ^  ought  six  acres  of  it  for  $(),00(),  which 
brought  th  price  of  the  balance  down  to  $34,000. 
Subsequently  the  Belle  Haven  Land  Co.  paid  that 
amount  to  the  Bush  heirs  and  acquired  the  land.  A 
tract  of  twelve  acres  was  also  purchased  of  Augustus 
I.  Mead  for  $12,000,  located  about  where  the  Hackett 
Day,  Wilbur  S.  AVright,  Thompson  and  Tyler  cot- 
tages stand.  This  made  the  total  original  cost  of 
Belle  Haven,  before  any  improvements  were  made, 
about  $4*6,000,  quite  small  compared  to  the  price  of 
$150,000,  paid  for  the  D.  Smith  iNIead  farm  in  1907. 
I  visited  the  ground  with  about  a  dozen  ])rospective 
stockholders  early  in  the  spring  of  188.'5.  No  finer 
day  could  liave  been  selected  for  the  ])urpose.  There 
was  just  a  reminiscence  of  winter  in  the  air  and  the 
soiled  snow  lay  in  ridges  along  tlie  north,  side  of  the 
stone  walls.  But  the  sun  was  warm  and  the  twitter 
of  tlie  bluebirds  and  the  joyful  whistle  of  the  meadow 
hirk,  the  first  of  all  our  song  birds,  could  be  lieard 

[322] 


BELI.E  HAVP:X 

across  the  fields.  Tlie  matter  of  tlie  ])iireliase  was 
13ractically  settled  that  day  and  Belle  Ha\  en.  the  first 
residence  park  that  (ii'eenwieh  e^'er  had,  was  an  as- 


XKI.SOX    lUSll 

IS()()-IS7,J 


snred  fact  hefoi'e  tlie  cheery  trees  had  hlossonied. 
Before  this,  hnid  had  heen  (h'\  ided  into  huildin^-  plots 
such  as  Rocky  Xeck,  Init  tliis  was  the  first  land  s])ecu- 
lation  that  conld  I'cally  claim  the  name  of  a  residence 
jjark.  In  1882  all  the  h-iiid  now  included  in  Hellc 
Haven  excepting  the  Wilham   II.   McC'ord   pr()[)ei-tv 


OTHER  DAYS  IN  GREENWICH 

and  about  forty  acres  liesides,  was  assessed  for  town 
taxes  at  $15,490,  yielding  an  annual  tax  of  $193.62. 
The  taxes  now  paid  by  the  various  owners  at  Belle 
Haven  amount  to  many  thousand  dollars.  The 
men  who  bravely  took  up  the  15elle  Haven  enterprise 
saw  many  dark  days  and  in  188.5,  '86  and  '87  the  sales 
were  slow  and  expenses  heavy.  There  were  mo- 
ments, perhaps,  when  they  wished  they  had  taken 
pronounced  views  against  farm  land  on  that  spring 
day  in  1883. 

Capt.  Thomas  ]Mayo,  Nathaniel  Witherell  and 
Robert  ]M.  Bruce  were  among  the  pioneers  in  the 
Belle  Haven  scheme.  It  is  interesting  to  think  of 
Belle  Haven,  when  it  was  an  open  farm  many  years 
ago.  Once  I  knew  an  old  man  who  gave  his  personal 
recollections  of  the  place  as  it  appeared  early  in  the 
last  century.  On  the  Byram  side  of  Belle  Haven 
W'as  what  was  known  as  the  Banks  lands,  consisting 
of  29  acres,  and  after  tlie  park  was  quite  well  built  u]), 
it  was  bought  of  Nelson  B.  :Mead  for  $9,000.  This 
occurred  in  January,  1889.  It  was  shortly  after  this 
that  I  had  an  interview  with  the  old  man  and  his 
recollections  are  as  follows: 

"I  enjoyed  going  down  there  as  early  as  1820, 
"when  Samuel  Bush  owned  what  is  now  the  upper 
"portion  of  the  park.  My  recollection  of  the  old 
"gentleman  is  very  distinct.  Never  a  great  talker, 
"lie  possessed  plenty  of  ideas  and  the  quaint  origi- 
"nality  with  which  they  were  expressed,  made  it  worth 
"all  it  cost  to  get  them.     When  alone  he  said  but 

[324] 


BELLE  HAVEN 

little,  hut  wlien  I  lin'ed  him  up  to  Deacou  Ahi-aham 
JNleacrs  or  dowu  to  John  Hauks'  he  would  talk, 
especially  if  he  ^'ot  onto  the  suhjeet  of  Ohadiah 
Banks'  will.  Ohadiah  was  the  father  of  uine  chil- 
dren, all  of  whom  otcw  to  full  aoe,  and  in  the  earlv 
years  of  the  nineteenth  century  lived  in  that  ])art  of 
Belle  Haven  |)ui'chased  of  Nelson  H.  Mead.  The  old 
man  died  in  17U().  He  had  heen  personally  inter- 
ested in  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  the  liint-lock 
iJ'un  that  hunL»-  ahove  the  mantel  had  heen  his  ])ride. 
His  son,  John  Banks,  and  the  widow,  Elizaheth, 
never  removed  it,  and  I  used  to  see  it  just  as  it  hung 
when  its  owner's  silent  form  was  carried  out  of  the 
narrow  south  door  for  its  last  I'estino-  place.  Well, 
Ohadiah's  will  was  always  an  interesting  topic  for 
Sam  Bnsh  and  Deacon  Ahraham  ]Mead.  Sam  never 
liked  it.  He  used  to  say  that  Ohadiah/s  widow 
was  altogether  too  restricted  in  her  rights  to  the 
farm,  and  that  when  he  made  his  will  he  would  pro- 
vide that  his  widow  shouhl  have  the  use  of  all  his 
farm  for  twenty-one  years  after  his  death.  And 
that  is  exactly  what  he  did  when  lie  came  to  make  his 
will  along  in  coi'u-husking  time  in  182().  But  he 
used  to  com])lain  to  the  Deacon  that  the  widow  Hanks 
had  too  liheral  a  dower  in  the  use  of  the  house  and 
hai'u  which  Deacon  Mead  had  set  out  to  her  in  the 
following  language : 

"  'The  one-third  ])art  of  the  dwelling  house,  heing 
the  west  room,  with  the  chamher  aho\c  said  room 
and    one-third    part    of    the    cellar,    with    the    pi'ivi- 

[32.5] 


OTHER  DAYS  IN  GREEXWICH 

"lege  of  the  entry  and  chamber  stairs  to  go  to  and 
"from  said  chamber,  and  to  bake  in  the  oven;  also 
"the  one-third  part  of  the  barn  being  the  west  bay, 
"with  the  liberty  of  the  floor  to  cart  in  and  through.' 

"Sam  thought  that  the  mother  and  girls  could 
"manage  their  unity  of  interest  in  the  oven,  but  tliat 
"when  a  sudden  shower  was  coming  up  an.d  the  widow^ 
"and  her  sons,  Ben,  Daniel,  John  and  Joshua,  were 
"each  getting  in  their  hay,  on  their  respective  parcels, 
"they  were  all  likely  to  get  a  load  to  the  barn  at  the 
"same  time  and  in  the  strife  for  the  'liberty  of  the 
"floor'  the  hay  might  get  wet.  It  was  certainly  a 
"small  barn  for  all  that  was  expected  of  it,  and  I 
"felt  a  little  sorry  to  hear  that  it  was  toni  down  last 
"week.  Sam  Bush  at  times  would  tell  us  of  his  boy- 
"hood  days  and  how,  in  the  summer  evenings,  he  used 
"to  sit  by  Obadiah's  west  door,  and  count  the  potato 
"laden  sloops  sail  down  the  Sound.  He  thought  a 
"wonderful  sight  of  Obadiah's  children,  the  oldest  of 
"w^hom  was  quite  grown,  but  tb.e  little  tow-headed 
"ones  were  a  merry  lot  and  they  were  in  and  out  at 
"the  door,  off  to  the  barn  and  back,  across  the  knoll 
"to  the  shore,  singing  and  laughing  like  school  chil- 
"dren  at  recess. 

"When  winter  came  and  the  snow  fell  deep  in  the 
"Field  Point  Road  and  drifted  across  the  lane,  Dea- 
"con  Abraham  ^lead's  boys,  Isaac  and  Zophar,  ac- 
"com])anied  by  the  Banks  boys  with  their  ox  team, 
"would  join  forces  in  breaking  the  roads.  After 
"the  work  was  done  and  the  evening  chores  at  the 

[:3-2r,] 


EELI.E  HAVEN 

"hain  ac'c'(;ini)Ii.slK-(l.  how  luitiii'al  it  was  i'oi"  the  hoys 
"to  I't'ti'ac'L'  tlic'ir  .stc|;.s  over  the  newly  heateii  traek 
"to  Ohadiali's  h.onie,  wh.ere  the  glow  of  the  great  open 
"fire  tilled  the  south  room  and  shone  out  of  the  win- 
"dows  across  the  snow,  to  where  the  tide  had  tunihled 
"the  iee  against  the  scarred  and  seamed  rocks  along 
"the  shore. 

"The  striped  cider  mug  on  the  shelf,  the  a])])le 
"hasket  and  the  pop  corn  bag,  were  not  greater  at- 
"traclions  to  them  than  tlie  merry  girls  gathered  in 
"a  half  circle  about  the  hearth. 

"1  remember  well  just  how  tlie  old  l^aidss  home- 
"stead  looked,  both  without  and  witliin.  In  the  cor- 
"ner  cu})board  of  the  south  room  was  the  best  blue 
"china,  that  made  a  beautiful  array,  and  so  precious 
"that  to-day  the  few  pieces  th.at  remain  would  almost 
"brina'  their  weight  in  silver.  Their  odd  but  "race- 
"ful  sha})es  were  decorated  with  historic  scenes,  of 
"which  1  recall  Washington  crossing  the  Delaware, 
"tlie  siege  of  \^orkt()wn  and  the  landing  of  Columbus. 
"One  could  eat  veal  })ie  and  study  history  at  the  same 
"time. 

"Xear  the  china  cupboard  was  a  s(|uare  mahogany 
"clock,  trimmed  with  brass,  th.at  has  long  outlived 
"its  owner,  for  in  a  certain  office  in  the  village  it  still 
"ticks  the  time  away.  K|)slaii-s,  tlie  great  canopied 
"bedsteads  were  piled  high  with  feathers,  and  the 
"small  windows  were  cuiiained  with  the  most  delicate 
"shades  of  chintz.  There  were  \\\()  pictui'e  mirroi's 
"that  hung  on  the  wall:  one  of  exciuisile  design  and 

[327] 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 

"workmanship,  representiiio-  the  fierce  marine  strug- 
"gle  between  the  frigates  Gucrricre  and  Constitution 
"in  the  war  of  1812. 

"Tlie  Constitution  on  even  keel,  her  flags  flying, 
"bnt  her  sails  riven  with  shot,  was  firing  with  terrible 
"effect  npon  the  hapless  Guerriere  lying  almost  upon 
"her  beam  ends,  with  her  foremast  gone  by  the 
"board,  and  her  severed  shrouds  hanging  over  the  bid- 
"warks. 

"Sam  Bush  bought  the  mirror  in  New  York  in 
"1813  for  his  neighbor,  Thomas  Hobby,  and  after  ^Nlr. 
"Hobby's  death  John  Banks  bought  it  at  a  vendue. 
"The  other  mirror  was  much  older,  but  more  crude 
"in  design  and  workmanship.  It  represented  a  girl 
" — a  grotesque  little  thing — with  a  basket  on  her  arm 
"and  her  forefinger  in  her  mouth.  Her  rosy  clieeks 
"and  red  boots  were  of  the  same  tint  and  she  stood 
"out  against  a  yellow  l)ackground  and  beneath  a 
"scarlet  canopy. 

"For  more  than  twenty-flve  years  after  Obadiah 
"died,  his  son,  John  Banks,  occupied  the  old 
"homestead,  but  his  brothers  Uan,  Joshua,  Ben  and 
"their  sister  Elizabeth  from  time  to  time  sold  theii" 
"lands  to  Deacon  Abraham  Mead,  till  finally  in  18"25, 
"after  the  deacon  had  died,  John  Banks  sold  the  home- 
"stead  to  Isaac  ^Nlead,  the  son  of  Abraham  ^Nlead  and 
"the  grandfather  of  Xelson  B.  ^Nlead." 

Just  as  tile  old  man  gave  me  these  facts,  with  here 
and  tliere  some  verbal  clianges  and  the  occasional 
insertion  of  a  date,  I  have  written  them.     As  I  sat 

[328] 


BELI.E  IIAVEX 

listenini*'  to  the  story  1  could  see  liiin  close  his  eyes 
as  thou<^'li  xisions  of  the  past  filled  his  luiiid.  With 
the  present  he  showt'd  no  sym])athy.  and  ex|)rcssed  no 
interest  exce])t  as  it  j)ointed  to  the  past  and  to  those 
"vvho  had  f>()ne  hefore. 

In  h-is  anticipations  of  the  future  he  a<4ain  saw  his 


M-.i.SOX     lUSH    H()-Mi:S'l'KAI) 
Hcllf    H;iv<-n 

old  nei<jhhors.  He  renienihered  them  as  patient,  in- 
dustrious, soher.  Theii-  hours  of  enjoyment,  aside 
from  those  given  to  the  cultivation  of  the  soil,  which 
was  theii'  life,  were  i'vw.  Their  inte<>i'it\-  was  |)ro- 
verhial  and  theii"  confidence  in  tlu-  honesty  and  piu'ity 
of  their  fellow  men.  uidimited.  Sentiment  and  af- 
fection in.  their  natures  were  not  so  much  lackiuL*'  as 
the  ahilitv  or  disposition  to  exj)ress  them. 


OTHER  DAYS  IX  GREENWICH 

A  sturdy,  honest,  reputable  race  were  they  of 
whom  their  descendants  may  well  be  proud  and  whose 
sterling  qualities  very  generally  have  descended  to 
the  present  generation. 


THE    END 


[330] 


IXDEX 


INDEX 


Acker,    Alir;ih,nii,    .'(),    215 

Acker,      I'ttcr,      JO;      fiardcn      and 

homestead    of,   23,    122,    1,53 
Acker,  ^\'illialll,  drums  up  recruits, 

i;}() 
Adams,    Saiimtl,    ."> 
Aikeu,    Dr.    James,    19,    11,5 
Allen,   David    K.,   ])ro])erty  of,  289 
Allen   Brotliers,  garag-e  of,  2(u 
AII;iire     ?jngines,    used     in     marine 

service,   206,   207 
Amcncun  Club.   180,  181,  182,   184, 

187,  188,  189.  194;  mem])ers  of, 

63,  199,  200,  201,  203,  20,5,  207, 

214- 
Amogorone.  281 
Andrews,   Benjamin,  2,58 
Andrews,    (Mrs.)    Marv    E.,    ]iro])- 

erty  of,  91 
Andrews,   Cliief  .Fustiee,    sitting   in 

trial.    Mead    will    case,    <)|)ini()n 

of,   ,50 
Anderson,  \\'alter   M.,  |)ro])ertv  of, 

1 ,5.5 
.Anderson,    (Mrs.)    A.    A.,   ])ro)iertv 

of,    202 
Andrade,  Jose])!!   D.  C,  200 
Apples,      become      a      product      of 

Greenwich   farms,  83 
Apartment  houses,    Italian,  32 
Arch   Street,  2(i,  1  17 
Ardendnlc    Saiiifnriinii.    226 
Artisans,    Port    Chester.    emploNcd 

in   Greenwich,  23 
Asten,  Peter,  264 
Athf'Irroff.  94 
Atwater.   Jeremiah    W.,   282,   284 


Bailey,    (.Mrs.)    Henry    M..    106 
Baker,  I"",dwin   H.,  residence  of,  248 
Balloon   frame  huilding,  ))rojection 

of   causes   comment,    122 
Banks,   Benjamin.   326.   328 
Banks,  Daniel,  326,  328 


Baiik.s,    (Mr.s.)    Elizabeth,  325,  328 

Banks,  John,  44,  325,  326,  328 

Banks,    (Mrs.)    John    H.,   296 

Banks,  Joshua,  326,  328 

Banks,  Obadiah,  homestead  of, 
325,  326,  327;  will   of,  325,  326 

Banks'  Homestead,  built  by  Oba- 
diah   Peck.   158 

Banksville.   61,    117 

Banksxille  .stage,  connecting  link 
with    Greenwich,   61 

Baptistrv,  donated  bv  Wm.  M. 
Tweed,   1869,  223 

Barber,  .Vma/.iah  D..  200 

Barker.  James.  200 

Barnard.  George  G.,  167,  200 

Barmnn.  Henry  .V.,  200 

Barnard,  JoIui't.,   199 

Barrow's    Point,  213 

Bars,  unknown   in   Greenwich,   21 

Bassford,   Edward   D.,   199 

Bathhouse,   The   Tweed,    190,   193 

Bay])ort.    314 

Be(-k.  Frank  8.  P:.,  200 

Bedford,  282 

Bedford.   Gunning   .S..    200 

Bedford  stage,  .sto})ped  at  Slcui- 
irich  I  mi.  Ii6 

Bell,  (Mrs.)   Alfred,  106 

Belle  Haven,  322,  323,  324;  objec- 
tion of  residents  to  extension 
of  slu)re   road.  44 

Belle  Haven  Land  Co.,  pro])ertv 
of.  322 

Belle  Haven   Park,  205 

Benedict,    (Miss)    Belle,    19 

Benedict,  Elias  C.,  residence  of, 
184 

Benedict,  Henry  :\I.,  8,  12,  119.  241, 
268;  residence  of,  155,  158;  se- 
cures widening  of  Greenwich 
-Avenue,    120 

Benedict    Place.   12,   13 

15enson,  Oliver  D..  139 

Berrien,    Daniel,   300 


[333] 


INDEX 


Betts,  John  S.,  199 

Big    Six    Volunteer    Fire    Co.,    165, 

18:} 
Black   Republicans,  abolitionists  so 

called,    1^'.5 
Blackwell's  Island,  AVni.  M.  Tweed 

sent  to,  ^^8 
Black  Walnut  Tree,  the  old,  250 
Bleaklev,   Andrew,  -'00 
Bleaklev,   Andrew,  Jr.,   200 
Bonnett,   (Mrs.)   A.  Leta,  66 
Bonner,     Frederick,     property     of, 

321 
Borrows,  William  B.,  200 
Boswell,  Henry  C,  property  of,  94 
Boithhrs.     The,     home     of     K.     B. 

Close,   76 
lioyle,  Edward,   199 
Bovle,  James  W.,  200 
Brady,   Henry,  138 
Brady,  Stephen,  138 
Braisted,  Peter  D.,  199 
Brennan,    Matthew   T.,   200 
Brennan,  Owen  W.,  199 
Brice,  John,  200 
BrinckerhofF,     Captain      Abraham, 

183,    187.  202,   206,   261 
Brookside  Drive,  74 
Brothers'  Brook,  16,  300 
Brown,    (Mrs.)    F.    Kissam,    ])roj)- 

ertv  of,  95 
Brown,'  Martin   B.,  200 
Bruce  Park,   16,  310 
Bruce,    Robert    M.,    237,    264,    268, 

324 
Bruce,   (Miss)   Sarah,  237 
Brush,  Amos  M.,  19,  115,  242 
Brush,  S.   Augustus,   121 
Brush,  Charles,  ]iroperty  of,  (Hi 
Brush,  Edward,  proiierty  of,  251 
Brush,  Henry  L.,  23,  121 
Brush,  Joseph,  17,  18,  35,  115.  241; 

homestead  of,  315 
Brush,    (Mrs.)    Josei)h,    106 
Brush,  S.   A.,  23 
Brush,  Shadrach  M.,  10();  iirojiertv 

of,   121 
Brush,  Shubel,   granddaughters  of, 

66;   property  of,   66 
Brush.   William,  ^iroperty  of.   66 
liuchanan.   James,    Pres.    U.    S.    A., 

18,  125 
Buckley,  Justin   R.,  267 
Buffett,   Rey.  Piatt,  248 
Buffett,    (Mrs.)    Piatt.  246 
Bulla rd.  John   A..   21 


Burying  groimd,  the  Davis,  57,  60 

Burke,   Dr.   William,   7 

Burnes,    Judge    Charles    D.,    prop- 
erty of,  74 

Burns,   Dennis,   200 

Burns,  Erastus,  137 

Burns,  James,   137 

Bush,  Nelson,  farm  of,  205,  322 

Bush,  Rebecca,  2 

Bush,  Samuel,  325,  326,  328;  prop- 
erty of,  324 

Bush,  William,  2,  5 

Butt,  George  W^,   199 

Buttermilk    Falls,    tract    so    called, 
91 

Button-ball  Trees,  the  old,  153 

Button.    (.Mrs.)    Julia    A.,    105 

Button,  Philander,  105,  194,  207; 
farm  of,  1,  86,  194 

Button,  Philander    (Mrs.),  106 

Byfield  Road,  the,  291 

Byrani,  27,  204,  324 

Byram    Point,    27,   204;    rural    con- 
dition of,  28 

Byram   River,   30,  318 

Cameron,    Charles,   236 

Canary,    Thomas,   200 

Captain's     Island,     lighthouse     on, 

182 
Cardoza,   Albert.   167 
Carnochan,   John    M.,   200 
Central    Park,    Tweed    statue    pro- 

jiosed  for,  222 
Chamberlain,  John   C,   attorney   in 

Mead  will  case,  48,  49 
Chamberlain,  John  F.,  200 
Chapman,      John      D.,      owner      of 

Round  Island,  45 
Charlock,  John  T.,   199 
Chcrriirnlc,    Recreation    Home    for 

\Vorking  Girls  at,  85 
Chimiiei/.').  the,  94 
Chinmey  Corner,  the,  184,  303 
Choate,"  Josejih  H..  229 
Christensen.   Carla.  artist,  31 
Christy,  Moses,  268 
Crist'y,    (Mrs.)    Moses.  106 
City  "island,  181 
Clark,  Dr.  J.  A.,  home  of,  14 
Clark,    (Mrs.)    Eockwood  P.,  106 
Clancy,   Lawrence,    199 
Close,"  Allen   H.,  90 
Clo.se,  E.  B.  owner  of  the  "BnuhJ- 

ers,"    76 
Close.  Jonathan   A..  259 


[334] 


INDEX 


Close,  Sainuel,  IH,  3,5,  :}7,  !»:5 
Coasting,  favorite  ])lac'e  tor,   IJl 
Cogiu'waugh  Road,  :31(),  SI 7 
Cohen,    Maver    H.,    2'.i5;    jiroixrtv 

of,  IJl,"  ;?38 
Collier,  James  W.,  ^00 
('oloninl    Taceni.    .Mead's,    244 
Columbia,  District  of,  ('om])ared  in 

size  with   Greenwich,    J.> 
Company    I,    Tenth    Conn.     N'ohni- 

teers,   first   to    go    to   war,    i:?(>, 

i:«,  i:j7 

Committee  of  Sevent\ .  work  of, 
161,  174,  17(),  -'-^0  " 

Congregational  Churcli,  old.  1!); 
first  edifice,  llx?;  second  edi- 
fice 1730,  112;  third  edifice 
1798,  112;  burning  of  18()(i,  115 

CoiuioUv,  Richard  H..  I(i7.  l(i!>. 
173",  17,5 

Coonev,    M'illiam,    residence   of,   98 

Cook,  .Vda  .M.,  jiroperty  of,  1,55 

Cooper,  A\'illiam,  associate  of 
David   .Mason,  247 

Copperheads,  Southern  syinpathi/,- 
ers  called,  125 

Cornell,  Charles  G.,  199,  2ti4 

Corson.   Cornelius,   199 

Cos  Cob,  17,  25,  2(i,  54,  88,  204, 
2-25,  22(i,  229,  231,  310,  313, 
314,  316;  Harbor,  311;  River, 
300 

Coulter,  James  E..  200 

Courtney,  (Miss)  Hannah,  }>rop- 
erty  of,   154,   155,   156 

Cozine.  John    R.,  2 

Crabs,  found  at  old  \\"hitc  Bridge, 
60 

Cn-nt    ]'liir.    sale    of,   9t 

Cramer    Uuilding,   S 

Creruncr,  Thomas  J..  201 

Cuddy,    Ivlward,   200 

Curtis.  Julius  H.,  attorney  for  H. 
M.   Benedict,    19,   120,"l34 

Dalv  Building,  274 

Daili.   the   old.    12,    U,   16 

Ddiidif.     horse     owiu'd      bv      .ludgc 

Mead,  34 
Danes,     ])o))ulation     \u     Ivist      I'ort 

Chester,   31 
Danish   Club    House,   I)uilt   bv    Milo 

Mead,  31 
Darrah,   John,   213 
Davin,    Edward    .\.,    199 
Davis  Avenue,  6,  7,  Ki,  197,  286 


[33 


Davis.     .M.rahani      B..     2,     5,     259; 

farm    of,    1 
Davis'   Creek,  ,54,  300 
I)a\is  Cemetery,  57,  60 
Davis'   Dock,  origin  of,  68;  owned 

and  held   by    Davis   family,  69; 

litigation    over    ownershi]),    ()9, 

70,  71;  jury  in  litigation  over 

ownershi]!,  71  ;  witnesses  called 

in   suit    over  ownershi])   of,   71 ; 

ownerslii])     of     Walter     Davis, 

sustained    1837,   70,   71 
Davis,   Edward,   304 
Davis,   Eleanor   R.,  6;   estate  of,  6, 

69 
Davis,   Elisha,  303,  304 
Davis,  Henry,  304 
Davis   Landing,   2,  217,   310 
Davis  Lane,  197 
Davis    Mill.    old.   57.    299,   300,   303, 

301,   305 
Davis,   Judge   Noah,    176,    177,  227, 

22>^ 
Da\is   I'ond,   16 
Davis,  Silas,  2,  258,  259,  304 
Davis,  Stephen,  303,  304 
Davis,  Thomas,  303 
Davis,    Walter,    259,    304 
Davidson,   John    McB.,    200 
Davison.    William,    199 
Day,    Hackett,    residence   of,   322 
Dayton,    George    H..    pro])erty    of, 

'322 
Dayton,    Henry,    j^rojierty    of,    322 
Dfivton,  Jacob,  Jr.,  70 
Dayton,  John,  22,  90 
Da\ton,  ;\Iarv   1''.,  ])roiiert\-  of,  238 
Dcarfu'ldx.  2,"  153 
Dearfield,  built    in    1799,   73;   origin 

of  name,  73 
Dearfield     Dri\c.    origin    of    name, 

73 
Deep   Hole.    16 
Decker.    William    I*'.,    residence    of, 

85 
Delano,    (:Mrs.)    Lucy    .M.,  208 
Democratic      I'.artv,      during      war 

times,  \2ri 
D<nnis.    (.Mrs.)    Mary.   263 
Derison,   I'"re(lerick,  ])roi)ertv  of,   18 
Denton,    Hunijihrey,   2^2 
Derby,   Silas,   61,  ()2;    reminisci'iu'cs 

(if,  62,   (i3 
Dewey,     S.      l''oster,     secretary     to 

Win.    y\.   Tweed,    194.   200 
D<'wey,   William    C.   200 

'A 


INDEX 


Diinond,   James   G.,  201 

Dingletdwn,  so  called,  317 

Dodworth's  Band,  ^'09,  322 

Docks,  the  Town,  31 

Dock,  the  Daniel   Merritt,   117 

Dominick,  George  F.,  254;  prop- 
ert}'  of,  41 

Dominick,  George   F.,  Jr.,  254 

Dominick,  James  "VV.,  254 

Dominick,  William,  254 

Donnelly,    Patrick,    215 

Donohiie,   Thomas,   200 

Donohue,   William,   139 

Dougan,  (Mrs.)  Amelia  J.,  prop- 
erty of,  ()9 

Douglas,   Frederick,  218 

Draw   Bridge,   the  Cos  Cob,  58,  59 

Diiane  Street,  office  of  Tweed  in, 
190 

Dunley,  William  B.,  199 

Durnin,   Eugene,   199 

East   Putnam   Avenue,   11,   153 

East   River,  the,  228 

Edgeirood  Inn.  76 

Ed(/<'irood  Park.  73,  76 

Edwards,  E.  Jav,  writer  for  N.  Y. 
Ercnhifi    Mail.   196 

Eidlitz,  Leo]iold,  architect  of  Con- 
gregational  Church,   100,   116 

Electric  Light  Co.,  office  of,  193 

Elizabeth   Xeck,  280 

Elliott,   William,  274,  275,  277 

Ellsworth,  Col.,  shooting  of,  125 

Elm  Street,  7,  14,  120,  286,  288, 
289 

Elms.  The.  154,  157 

Elphick,  James,  230,  231 

Elten,   Kruseman  van,  200 

Ely,  William  L.,  199 

Engine   No.   10,  278 

Engine  No.  27,  273 

Enlisting  station,  the  wartime,  130 

Episcojial    Church,    Riverside,   284 

Episco]ialians,  early,  27 

Execution   Light,   181,  213 

Farley,  Terence,  199 

Farms,  early   xminciunbered,   25 

Farm    products,    1859,    25;    sent    to 

N.  Y.,  26 
Farm    produce,    earh-    shijipers    of, 

26 
Farmers,    early    Greenwich,    1,    2; 

average  wealth  in  1859  of,  25 


Fairchild,  Benjamin  T.,  residence 
of,  318 

Feaks,    (Mrs.)    Elizabeth,  280 

Feaks,  John,  280,  281 

Felter,  Henry  D.,  200 

Fennessy,  J.    H.,   property   of,    153 

Ferris,  Aaron  P.,  property  of,  235, 
237 

Ferris,  Jeff  re,  280;  homestead  of, 
281 

Ferris,  Joshua  B.,  attorney  Davis' 
Dock    Suit,   71 

Ferris,  Thomas  H.,  200 

Ferris,  Wm.  L.,  194 

Fessenden,  Sanuiel,  attorney  in 
Mead  will  case,  46,  47,  4*9,  50 

Field  Point,  111,  205,  256,  277; 
early  settlers  on,  38;  originally 
common  lat^l,  37;  centre  of  in- 
terest, 42;  cultivation  of,  41; 
sales  of  shore   front,  53 

Field  Point  Park,  part  of  original 
Oliver   Mead   Fnrm,  37 

Field   Point   Pasture,  263 

Field   Point  Road,  326 

Field  Point  s]>rings,  263 

Fields,  Thomas  C,  200 

Finch,  David,  137 

Finch's    Island,   182 

Finch,  Jared,  137 

Finney,  B.  Frank,  14 

First  "Avenue,  286,  288 

First    Presbyterian   Church,   93 

Fisk,  James,  Jr.,  200 

Fitz  Gerald,   Henry   M.,  217 

Vive  Mile  River,  203 

Flag  pole,  erected  during  wartime, 
126,  129,  1.39 

Fleming,  Charles   !>.,  200 

Fold,  The,  a  home  for  children,  84, 
85 

Ford,  John  J.,   199 

F'ort  Siunter,  fired  upon  in  Civil 
War,  125 

Frear,    Alexander,    200 

Freight   tonnage,   early,   26 

Fresh  Air  Home,  opened  by  Na- 
thaniel AVitherell,  84 

Funk,  Augustus,  200 

Funston,  Thomas,  263 

Gansey,   Solomon    S.,   122,   286,   287 
Garvev,  Andrew  J.,  199,  226 
Garvey,   John,  200 
Genet,'   Harry,   222 
Georgi,  Adol'ph  E.,  200      • 


[386] 


INDKX 

r.oldcii,    I-:|ilir.iim,    70.   7i  I  l,i  rdcnlin.ok,      (.Miss)       l.illic      A., 
Gordon,      Kcv.      ( '.corec      A..      I). I).,  property  of,   li)l,   l)).> 

jiastor        of        Stcond        Coiifi-.       I  Inrkiu'ss,   1..    \'.,   ))roi)frtv   of,    1j8 

C'liurch,    IK),    III  ll;iriictl,  .loiiii   H.,   JOO 

Could,  .lay,    JOO  lliiriu  rs'    Wcckli/.    J:2J 

CHiMivillf.    -Ml;    woolen    mills    at,   :}|  Harrison,   ,Iosei)li    (J.,   200 

Glcnville       Road,      dixided       Mead  Ilarway,  .lames  L.,  -200 

farms,  73  Ilarxcy,    Alex   W.,   iJOO 

Cirafiilla,   Claudius   S.,    19!)  li.iven'ieyer   Seliool,    H,    118 

Craham,    (.Miss)    (\)rnelia   .1.,    I,>T  Hawley,    Charles,    attorney    Davis' 
Ciraham,    .lolu;,    chief    counsel     for  Dock    suit,    70,   2S3 

Wm.  .M.  Tweed,  219,  22S  Hawthorne,  origin  of  name,  31 

Craham,    (Miss)    .Mary    K.,    l.>7  Held    House,    site    of    old    pottery 
I'.rand      .lurv      indicts       Wm.       M.  plant,    3S,    ;?,)7 

Tweed,    y.'T  Held,    Henry,  meat   market   of,  23, 
Crant,    the   ,1  list  us    Bush,   (iS.   (i!)  \22,    l_'.3 

Creat       Hill,       owned       hy       Israel  Hemhold,   Henry  T.,  ,'()() 

Knajip,    9,)  Heudock    Woods,   73,    7  1 

Creat     Island,    2M\  Henderson,    .lohn,    market    of,    20 

Creelev,    Horace,   2()  !•  Hendrie,   Ch.irles,  ,(r.,   property   of, 
Creen,'  .\ndrew   II.,  17.),   I7(),  229  2S4 

(Ireen    Courl   liin.  .)  Hendrie,  .).   W.,   2S  t 

Greenwich  .Xcidemy,  19,>,  197,  207,  Hermance,   Frank,  237 

220  "  Iliggins,    .\.    Foster,   220;    i)roperty 

Greenwich    .\ venue,    7,    20,    22,    23,  .    of,   98,    19S 

IIS.    123     137     219     222     233  Historians,  local.  \\'II 

242     245     249,    266,    267     274  Hitehman,  M'illiam,  201 

286';  first  purchase  of  land  for  Hobby,   Captain   .lohn,    l,-,3,    l.w 

business   i)uri)oses,   22-   original  Hobby,    Ilusted,  2.)9 

widening  of,   120  llohhi/    T<irrni.   1.53,    l.)() 

Greenwich    i'ire    Department,   2SI  Hobby.   Thomas,  328;    pro])erty   of, 
Greenwich    Hos))it.il.   2S();   pro|)ertv  '''■' 

of,    1.54  Hoey,   .lohn,   264 

(Jreenwich    I.ibrarv,   S  JJ"*J'    (^'•••^•)    '^ohn,  264 

(Greenwich,    .M.'a.r;    Historv    of,    98  Hoffman,  George  W.,  229,  230,  231 

Greenwich    &    Rve    Steamlmat    Co.,  Hoffman,   .Tohn   T.,   .Mayor  of   Xew 

formed  1866",  207  ,,      ^  "•"'^   |^'''^'  >'''-  ^"^ 

Greenwich    Savings    Bank,    22  Jogan,    Kdward,    199 

Creenwicli    Trust    Co.,   building   of,  Hoggson,  Willimn   H..  residence  of. 


23,    122 


2.53 
Holly,   Kdward  P.,  106 


Grl!;!;'  s;;!"t''^57"''"'  "'• "'         H'^''^--  (^'-•)  '^<i-'"i  1  •'  -^^^ 

Gu^;■^•      C    184  ''"">•  'ir-l^    ''-    ^l'>>    I'-I-ty 

(iiiion   George,  288  ,,    ,,  ,,,       .    .,, 

r,,,,.l.l,.i,,„      T..,.      T      mo  Holly,  (Mrs.)    Stephen,     06 

liiimhleton,    .lames    ,1.,    200  ,,    .,■  ,,.-,,•  it      ^,-,1 

Holly,  W  ilhani   H.,  260 

Ifnlh/  hni.  31.5 

Hagerty,  Edwin   M.,  199  Holmes,   (^ai)tain    Caleb,    26 

Hall,   A.  Oakley,   167,   169,   174  Holmes,   Caleb    M.,   1.39' 

Hall,    Charles    II.,    181,    182,    183,  Holmes,    (Mrs.)    Caleb,    106 

187,   188,   189,   199  Holmes,   Frank,  21 

Hall,    Judge,    hands    down    decision  Holmes,       Reuben,      characteristics 

in    Davis    Dock    litigation,   72  of,  96;   property   of,  9.5 

Halsey,  Schuyler,  200  Holmes,    Isaac,   .Tr,"2.52 

H.nmlton    \ venue,  32  ffomrstecHJ   II, .11.  origin   of.  33 

Ilanan,  .lolm   H.,  ])r()perty  of,  32  Hook  lands,  the  so  called     '91 

[337] 


INDEX 


Horse  Xet-k,  .'(>;  origin  of  name, 
38 

Horse  Neck,  Hohliv  ]n-oi)ertv  in, 
154. 

Horse  Neck  Brook,  77;  territory 
near,  37 

Horse  Xeek  Field  Point,  original 
name,  38 

Houses,  number  built  and  assessed 
up  to  1859,  25 

Howard,   Henry   Waring,   115 

Howe,    (Mrs.)    Xeheniiah,  106 

Howe,  William  A.,  10() 

Hoyt,   (Mrs.)    Elizabeth  R.,  10() 

Hoyt,  George  H.,  i?68 

HoVt,  Col.  Heusted  W.  R.,  23,  194, 
■  2:35 

Hoyt,  Dr.  James  H.,  267,  268;  de- 
livers farewell  speech  to  Co.  I, 
131 

Hubbard,  Frederick  A.,  236;  home 
in    1859,   11 

Hubbard,  Hollv,  137 

Hubbard,  John",  137 

Hubbard,  L.  P.,  241,  268;  home- 
stead of,  157 

Hubbard,  L.  P.,  Jr.,  enhsts  in  X. 
H.   Regiment,  130 

Huelat,   Henrv   H.,   199 

Hunt,  J.    Hovvland,   291 

Husted,  William  A.,  259,  262 

Hvde,  Clarence  M.,  property  of, 
94 

Hyde,    Dr.    F.   C,   proi>erty   of,   90 

Hvde,  Sevmour  J.,  property  of, 
■    41        " 

Ice  cream,  sold   in   fish  market,  23 
Ice  liouse,  first   in   town,  34 
Indian    Chief's    Throne,    landmark 

at   Rocky  Xeck,  258 
Indian   Pleld,   Fresh  Air  Home  at, 

84 
Indian   Harbor,  124,  184,  194,  205; 

Mead  Home  at,  38 
Indian   Harbor  Hotel,   184 
Indian  Harlior  Point,  25Q 
Indian     Harbor    Yacht     CluV),     26, 

261 
IngersoU,   James    H.,    174,   200 
Ingersolls',  ]iro]ierty  of,  66 
Innls   Ardcii.   280 
Inslee,  Gage,  architect,  188 


Jackson,   Joseiih    A.,   199 


[3 


Jackson,  Philip  X.,  230 
Jacoi)s,  Hobart  B.,  315 
■lavnes  Park,  part  of  Griggs'  farm, 

33 
Jerman,  George,  138 
Jerman,   William,   138 
Jerome  Park,  218 
John   Romer,  the,  63,  64,  206,  207, 

208,    209,    211,    212,    213,    214, 

215,  216 
Johnson,    William,    solicits   recruits 

with  fife,   130 
Jones,  Conductor,  277 
Jones,  Edward,  199 
Jones,     George,     publisher    of    the 

N.   Y.  Times,  172,  173,  174 
Jones,  James  E.,  200 
Jones,    Dr.    Leander    P.,    196,    236 
Jones,   Morgan,   199 
Jones'  Stone,  204 
Jime,      Theodore,      kept     boarding 

school    for   boys,    67 

Kearney,    Edward,    199 

Keeler,  John  E.,  attorney  in  Mead 

will    case,   47,   48,   49 
Keenan,   Patrick   H.,  199 
Kernan,  Francis,  174 
Keyser,  John  H.,  200 
Kimmons,   John,   187 
Kinnnons,    Richard,    187 
King,  John   T.,   199 
King,   Professor,  264 
Kimiev,    Francis,    199 
Kirk,  "Lewis  J.,   199 
Kirk])atrick,   Thomas,   200 
Kna])]),    (Miss)    Amelia,  14,  289 
Kna})p,  Brush,  8,   13,  288,  289,  290 
Knai)]i,  Caleb,  300 
Kna]>]>,    Israel,  property  of,  95 
Knai)p,    (Miss)    Martha,  289 
Kna]ip,  Xathaniel  A.,  property  of, 

321 
Knaiip,  Odle  C,  233,  321 
Kocli,   Josei)h,    200 

Laddin's  Rock  Fann,  285 

Lafayette,   General,  244 

Lafayette  Place,  126,  129,  244,  246 

Lake  Avenue,  207 

Lawrence,    Charles    L.,    200 

Lawrence,  Rt.  Rev.  William, 
liisho)!  of  Mass.,  decries  use 
of  stained   windows,  65 

Leeds,  J.   W.,  267 

Lrno.r    House.   20,    156,   244 

88] 


INDEX 


Lewis,   Beale   X..    l.>(>;   property  of, 

lo(),  1,)T 
Lewis,    Rev.     Dr.     is,iac,     l.Vi,    JKi, 

217,     21^;     resideiue     of,      IIS, 

154,    :?44.,    2U,   2Mi,    -'1-8 
Lewis,   (Mrs.)   Elizahetii,  widow  of 

Iie\'.   Dr.   Lewis,   l.)7 
[.ewis,     (Mrs.)     Ilaiiiiali,     wife     of 

Dr.    Lewis,   :J47 
Lewis,   (Miss)    Marv   Kli/.al.ctli,  .'17 
Lewis,    Roswell   W."    2Ui 
Lewis,   (Miss)   Saraii,  -'47 
Lewis    Street,    2U,    J4.5,    2W,    -'S(>, 

■2HS,  2S9 
Lewis,  Zaeiiariah,  2l(i 
Lexiiiiiton   Avenue,  8,  14 
Lincoln,  Abraham,  Pres.    I'.  S.   A., 

IS,  3.5,  140,  144 
Lincoln  Avenue,  8,  13 
Liiicdlii's  Inn.   so  called,   2\2 
Linslev,  Rev.  Joel  H.,  D.D.,  Pastor 

2nd    Cong.     Clnircii,    10.5,    108. 

llx?,  13.3,  239 
Linwood.   202,   2\9,  220,   222,  223 
Linirnod,  the  vaclit   owned  1)\    W'ui. 

M.  Tweed,  202 
Lockwood.   Benjaniiti,   propertv    of. 

2.3,  121  ' 

Lockwood,     (Miss)     Harriette     L.. 

pro))ertv  of,  66 
Lockwood.  i.uke  A.,  233,  282,  283 
Lockwood.   Lnke  A'..  267 
I^ockwood,  Oliver,  grocery   of,  23 
Lockwood,    William    F.    H.,    ])ro])- 

ertv  of,  282,  283 
Lowe,  Charles  E.,  200 
Long   Island   Somid,   1.53,   181.    183. 

188.    20.3,    26.3.    280,    282.    311; 

view   of,   11.   14,  20,  32.  37.   91, 

99,      1.5,5,      1.58;      .Sound      sIkhv 

tract,  .32 
Long,  Serg.  Willi.ini.   137,   139 
Love  Lane.  6,  16.   196,  197.   198,  28(i 
I^ower  Landing.  2() 
Lvon.  .Augustus.  1.56,  2.59;  i)ropei-l\ 

of,  2.53 
Lvon,   Daniel,   farm  of,  27 
Lvon,  Captain  William  L.,  23,  122, 

123,  267;  iirojiertv  of,  122,  288 
Ludlow    Street    .la  11.    191.    219,   229. 

231 


Macgregor.  Jameson.   199 
Maher,  John.  ])roi)erty  of,  86,  91 
■Mailer    Avemie,   2.51 


Maine,   soldiers    from   .State  of,    1 2(i 

.Main   Street,   17.   120 

Mallorw   Charles.    2S;    ])roi)ert\    of. 

32 
.Mallory.    Henry    R.,   28 
Mamaroneek,  203 
M.inn,      Rev.     Joel,     ex-]iastor     of 

.Second  Cong.   Church,   109 
Mann,     Conunodore     (leo.     1''.,     IS], 

187,   199 
Man.fion    Ilonsr.    the,    1.5() 
Maple  Avenue,  98,  218,  2.50,  2.51 
.Markets,    Early,   oihmi    only    in   the 

forenoon,  23 
Marks,  .\nu»sa  A.,  284 
.Marks,    Cicorge   E.,   28.5 
Marks.  William   L.,  28.5 
.Marremier,   Edward.   199 
.Marshall.   Drake,   137 
.Marshall,  Cilhert,  residence  of.  28.5 
M.irshall.    Heiirv    B.,   6,   129 
.Marshall,    Williiim.    137 
.Marston.  Edgar  L..  ]>roi)erty  of.  32 
Martin.    Dr.    Carl    E..    ])roj)erty   of, 

1 .5 1 
Mason,   David.  246,  247,  248 
.Mason   l"'arm,  the,  14,  1.5 
.Mason,  Jeremiah,  247 
.Mason,  CaDtain  John,  280 
.Mason,    (Mrs.)    .Marv    E.,   244,   246, 

247 
Mason,  Mvron  L.,  2.3.5 
Mason,    T)v.    Theodore    L.,    11,    20, 

244,   247,  -'48;    farm   of,   1 
.Mason  Street,  13,  14,  154,  244,  249, 

286,  288,  289 
Mayo,  Captain  Thomas.  3().  207,  324 
Mavo,    (Mrs.)    Rel)ecca    R.,  :W 
.McCahe,  Fr.ancis,  200 
McCann.  Charles.  137 
McCami.   ,»olm.    137 
.McCord.   William    II..   ])n)periy    of, 

32.3 
McCunn,  John   II..  167 
.McCutcheon,   James,    45 
.McFadden,   Parmelee  J.,  estate  of, 

9() 
.McGarigal.   John.    199 
Mcdowan.  .lames.  200 
MeC.owan.  John    T.,   200 
.McCluimu'ss  brothers,  218 
^IcMullen,    William,    .'25;    ])roi)ertv 

of,  231 
McMidlen,    (Mrs.)    Lydia    C,   22i); 

i)ro)>ertv  of,  225 
.McXall.  ('.('orge   C...  44 


[XV,)] 


INDEX 


:Mead,  Deacon  Ahraliani,  38,  3:25, 
328 

]Mead,    Alexander,    106 

Mead,  Alfred,  295 

.Mead,  Allen,  -295,  296 

Mead,  Alvan,  8,  158,  ;259;  property 
of,   157 

Mead,  Amos,  2i5 

Mead,  Andrew,  92 

Mead,    (Miss)    Anna,  295 

Mead,  Arthur  D.,  106 

Mead,  Augustus,  33 

Mead,  Augustus,  son  of  Isaac 
Mead,  38;   farm  of,  33 

Mead,  Augustus,  son  of  X.  B. 
Mead,  34;  residence  of,  22li 

Mead,  Augustus  I.,  34;  property 
of,  3:?-' 

Mead,   Judge    Augustus,   35,   36 

Mead,   E.   Belcher,  home  of,   91 

Mead,  Dr.  Beverlev  E.,  :236,  295 

Mead,  Caleb,  391,"  399 

Mead,  Caleb,  Jr.,  291 

Mead,   (Miss)   Catherine,  226 

Mead,  Charles,  26;   farm  of,  310 

Mead,  Charles  X.,  310 

Mead,    (Miss)    Clarissa,    105 

Mead,  Cornelius,  property  of,  388, 
391 

Mead,    (Mrs.)    Cornelia  J.,  90 

Mead,  Major  Daniel  Merritt  XVI I, 
22;  captain  of  Co.  I,  26,  130; 
sword  presented  to,  134;  ex- 
tracts from  diary,  133;  re- 
turns dying,  139;  death  and 
funeral   of,   140 

Mead,    (Mrs.)    Daniel   Merritt,   106 

Mead,  Daniel  S.,  130,  359;  property 
of,   117,   190,  357 

Mead,  Daniel  S.,  Jr.,  property  of, 
193 

Mead,  Daniel  Smith,  6 

Mead,  D.  Smith,  6,  346;  farm  of, 
1,  6,  333 

Mead,  D.   Smith,  3nd,  7 

Mead,  Dr.   Darius,  103,  348 

Mead,    (Mrs.)    Deborah,  79 

Mead,   Drake.  26,  333 

Mead,  (letieral  El)enezer,  sees  Gen. 
Putnam  esca])e  from  British, 
1779,  86 

Mead,  Pev.  Ebenezer,  half  brother 
of  Theodore  H.,  87 

Mead,  Edmund,  395,  396 

Mead,  Edmund,  Jr.,  395 


Mead,  Edward,  home  of,  336,  227, 
339,  330,  313 

Mead,    (Mrs.)    Edward,    105,   106 

Mead,  Edwin,  7,  386;  property  of, 
130 

Mead,  Elkanah,  administrator.  Es- 
tate of  Judge  Mead,  36;  home- 
stead of,  317 

Mead,    (Mrs.)    Elsie,  76 

.Mead,    (Miss)    F^meline,  395 

Mead,    (Miss)    Eunice,  395 

;\Iead,  Frederick,  103;  jjrojierty  of, 
103.   154,  158,   159.   196,  197 

Mead,  Hanford,  131 

Mead,   (Miss)    Haimah   M.,  106 

Mead,  (Mrs.)  Haimah,  property 
of,  96 

Mead.  (Miss)  Hannah  P.,  80;  leg- 
acies of,  83 

Mead,  Henry,  345;  property  of, 
344 

Mead,  Henry,  military  funeral  of, 
139 

^f('fuVs  Hisfon/,  306 

Mead,   Isaac,  .38,  336,  338 

Mead,  Isaac  Howe,  farm  of,  16, 
84,  310,  311,  313 

Mead,  Isaac  L.,  106,  246;  building 
of,  30 

Mead,  Irying,  395,  396 

Mead,   (Mrs.)  Jabez,  106 

]\Iead.  James,  395 

Mead,  Jared,  property  of,  154,  158, 
262,  363 

Mead,  Jeremiah,  291,  392,  295 

Mead,  Job,  76 

Mead,  Deacon  Jones,  37.  105;  death 
of,  39;  Estate  of,  37,  39 

Mead,  Joshua,  96 

Mead,    (Miss)    Laura,   395 

Mead,    (Mrs.)    Laura,   80 

Mead,   Lot,  26 

Mead,    (Miss)    Louisa,    106 

Mead,  (Mrs.)  Lucy  Mumford,  92, 
94 

Mead,    (Miss)    Lydia,   395 

Mead,  Lyman,  part  donatilr  of 
sword,  134;  liomestead  of, 
312 

Mead,  layman,  meadow,  60 

Mead,  Matthew.  31 

Mead,  Mark,  37,  39;  projierty  of, 
33 

Mead,  Mary  Waring.  |)ro])erty  of, 
;^90 

>'cad.   .Merwin,   farm  of,   14 


[340] 


INDEX 


Mc:h\,   Milo.  -'7,   ;2<),  :}();  held   in   es- 
teem by  Danes,  32 
Mead,  Xcheniiah,  Jr.,  252;  propertx- 

of,  2r>2 
Mead,  Nelson   1?..  M,  :}-'S;  iJiopcrtv 

of,  1121 
Mead.   Oliver.   :?(},   S8,    183;   conten- 
tion over  will  of,  43,  45,  46,  47, 
48,   49,    50,   51,   52;    Estate   of, 
41;    farm    of,   37;    Errors,   Su- 
])reme    Court    of,    decides    for 
])erfeet    title    to    Oliver    Mead 
farm,   45;    last    will    and   testa- 
ment  of,  4J,  43,  44,  46,  47,  51 
3Iead,  Oliver  D.,  43.    U,  117,  ^57 
ftlead's  l»oint.  310 
i\Iead,    Richard.    73;    homestead    of, 

153 
Mead,   Keuheii,  295 
Mead,    Robert    AVilliams,    ^41;    ad- 
vocates   new    church    building, 
100;    home    and    interests    of, 
102;      builds      Second      Cong. 
Church,  102 
Mead,    (Miss)    Samantha,  295 
Mead.  San  ford,  -'07,  212,  2H  ;  Pres- 
ident Clreenwich  &  Rye  Steam- 
boat    Coiupanv.    63;     ])ro]iertv 
of.    253 
Mead.  Silas  Merwin,  7;   farm  of,   1 
Mead.  Solomon,  90.  96.  97,  198,  :2:-'0, 
-'41,    ::?46,    25(i,    259,    26;^',    365; 
early    residence    of,    98;    later 
residence,  99;   farm  of,  98 
Mead,  Spencer  P.,  XVII 
Mead,   Dr.   Sylvester,  115 
Mead,  Theodore   H.,  characteristics 
of.  W6.  SS,  89;  farm  of,  sold  iiy 
order    of    Probate    Court,    90; 
speculations     of,     88.     89,     90; 
jiroperty  of,    Ki,  8(),   223 
Mead,   Theodore,   8() 
Mead,  Colonel  Thomas  A.,  2,  16,  19, 
26,  77,  233,  246.  259,  262;  lumie 
of,   153;   loans  to  Theodore   11., 
90;     buys     old     Cong.     Church 
building,    115;    farm,   1,   15,   73, 
7() 
Mead,  Thomas   R.,  miiitarx    funeral 

of.   139 
Mead.  Titus,  291;  Town  Treasurer, 
92;   hill    so   called.   92;   will   of, 
93;   {iroperty    of.    1,   86.   92,   95, 
283 
Mead.   Wliitman   S..  310 


.Mead.    Rev.    William    Cooper,   D.D., 

1..    I..    !)..   87 
Mead,  William  lleiirv.  26(5 
.Mead.    William  J..  2:V.i 
Mcadville.   origin    of,   30 
Mead.   Zaccheus,  2();  characteristics 
of,    78,    80;     proj)erty    of,     1, 
73.    74.    75.    77;    ])r,)visions    of 
will.    79 
Mead's    l.ane,    Zaccheus.    15 
Mead,    /accheus.    2nil.    7().    78,    259, 

262 
Mead,  Zophar.  38,   106.  32();  oiu'  of 

original   settlers,  37 
.Mechanic  Street,  115 
.Meeting  House,  the  old,  154,  158 
Menendez,  J.  M.,  property  of,  91 
.Merritt,  Caleb  W'.,   farm* of,  318 
.Merritt,  Henry  A.,  conditions  gov- 
erning   his    purchase    of    dock 
])r()))ertv,  31 
Merritt,   Joseph    G.,   197 
Merritt,  John   H.,  23 
Merritt,    (.Mrs.)    Lewis   A..   106 
Metroi)olitan    .Museum   of   .\rt.   site 

of,    178 
Mianus,   17,  2ii,  155 
.Mianus    River,    streams    that    join, 

61 
.Middle   Patent,  hills  of,  61 
.Milbank,  15.  91,  19,5,  202,  312 
.Milbauk  .\vetme,  196,  198,  277,  286; 

origin  of  name,   19() 
Milbank.    Jeremiah,    198;    ]>ropertv 

of,  221 
Milbank,   (Mrs.)   Jeremiah,  donates 

Town  Clock,  196 
.Milbank,  Joseph,   projierty  of,  32 
.Milk,   present    importations   of,  27; 

shijuuents  of,  26 
.Miller,  David,  200 
.Miller,  C.eorge  S.,  200 
.Miller,  James  I,..   199 
Mills,  Ceorge  H.,  106 
Mill   Lane.  286 
Minor,  Sheldon  E.,  44 
.Mitchell,  George   H.,  200 
.Monakawave.  280 

.Morgan,     Rev.     Joseph,    300,     303; 
pastor    in    first    house   of   wor- 
shiji,  112 
Morrell,  Simeon,  203 
Morton    House,   184 
Mosher,   Isaac,  ])roperty  of,  235 
Mozart   Hall,  established  bv  Mayor 
Wood,   162,   167 


[341] 


INDEX 


Mulberry  tree,  old  landmark  on 
Greenwich  Avenue,  137 

Murray,  Rev.  William  H.  H.,  140, 
201,  21-2;  birth  and  early  days 
of,  141,  143;  characteristics 
and  life  of,  141,  142,  143,  144, 
147,  148,  149,  150;  delivers  ad- 
dress of  welcome,  108,  109, 
110;  pastorate  at  Greenwich, 
141 ;  sermons  and  writings  of, 
144,  145,  147,  148,  150,  151,  153, 
312;  lectures  in  Ray's  Hall, 
150 

Murray,  (Mrs.)  W.  H.  H.,  141, 
144,  151 

Myanos  River,  300 


Nast,  Thomas,  cartoonist  for  Har- 
pei-'s    Weekly,   171,   180,   231 

News  Boys'  I^odging  House,  estab- 
lishment of,  178 

New  Haven,  excursion  on  the  Johti 
Rotner  to,  209,  210,  211 

New  I>ebanon,  docks  at,  30,  31 ; 
school  district  of,  31 ;  Sage  of, 
39;  origin  of  name,  30 

Newman  and   Hewes,  17 

Newport,  205 

New  York,  Municipal  and  political 
affairs  from  1834-1873,  1(31, 
l(i2,  1(53,  165,  166,  167,  168,  169, 
170,  171,  173,  173,  174,  175,  176, 
177,  178,  179 

Nichols,  Milton  C,  property  of,  88 

Nichols,    (Mrs.)    George  E.",  350 

North  Brother  Island,  314 

North  Castle,  hills  of,  61 

North  Cos  Cob  Road,  317 

North   Greenwich,  318 

North])ort,  303 

North  Street,  26,  94,  251,  288 

Norwalk,  303;  horsecar  line  at,  369 

Norwalk  Islands,  visible  from  Solo- 
mon Mead  homestead,  99 


O'Brien,  James,  173,  300 
O'Brien,  William  K.,  199 
O'Connor,  Charles,  174,  229 
O'Connor,  Chris.,  200 
O'Donohue,  Thos.  J.,  200 
O'Gorman,   Richard,  301 
Oak   trees.   The  Oliver   Mead,   41 
Ochre  Point,  205 


Octagon    House,   the,    13,   386,   387, 

388 
Old  Greenwich,  280 
Old    Greenwich    Point,    280 
Oliver,  John  W.,  201 
Oliver,  Isaac  J.,  300 
Old  Town,  380 
Osgood,  George  A.,  300 
Opera  House,  31 

Park      Avenue,     originally     Tracy 

Street,  98 
Park   Street   Church,   Boston,  312 
Parsonage  Road,  27 
Patterson  Avenue,  251,  253 
Palmer,    George    A.,    propertv    of, 

288 
Page,    Benjamin,   owner    (1837)    of 

Inn  at  Mianus  I^anding,  70,  71 
Parker,  Dr.  Edward  O.,  11;  home- 
stead of,  158 
Parks,    Archibald,   264 
Parlor  cars,  first  used  1868,  273 
Patrick,  Captain  Daniel,  280,  381 
Peck,  Benjamin,  31 
Peck,  Elias  S.,  33,  338 
Peck,  (Mrs.)   Isaac,  106 
Peck,  Peon    H.,  306 
Peck,    Obadiah,    157;    propertv    of, 

157.  158 
Peck,  Theo]>hilus,  property  of,  250 
Peck,  Prof.  Wm.  Guy,  residence  of, 

155;  estate  of,  158 
Pentland,  John,  300 
Pequot  War,  1637,  381 
Perrv   Land,  known   as,  353 
Philliixs,  Arthur,  33 
Phillips,  T.  Augustus,  300 
Piatti,  Dr.   Virgil  C,  jiropertv  of, 

30 
Pickford,  John.  Jr.,  199 
Pllf/rin).  the,  315 
Pinneo,    Dr.    T.    S.,    106;    residence 

of,  131 
Pinneo.   (Mrs.)   T.  S.,  106 
Piping  Brook,  13 
Piping  Point,  26 
Piping   Point   Road,   117,  345 
Police  Headquarters,   117 
Population.  1859,  25 
Port    Chester,    37,    308,    311,    356; 

East,  27,  39,  30 
Post    Road,    73.    74,    1.39,    154,    155, 

157,  226,  310,  313 
Post  Offices,  early,  25,  34,  35 
Potato  cellars,  old,  310 


[342] 


INDEX 


Potterv,  made  hv  Deacon  Aliraliain 

Mead,  ITW),"  t;} 
Preseott   Biiildiii-r,   US 
Prcxcdurf.   owned    hv    H.    P.    Wliit- 

taker,  <)}■ 
Probate  Court,  initial   judiie  of,  I51-; 

location  of,  lii,  ;5(),  x?S5 
Pro])rietors,    orijiinal    term    aj)])lied 

to   taxpayers    \~t2i),   257 
Purdy,      (Sliss)      Ann,     estalilishes 

i)()ardini;-    school,    Q2 
Puniping-  station,  the  new,  5-t 
Putnam   Avenue,   2,   IT,    18,   20,   35, 

115,  120,  153,  198,  222,  233,  234, 

214,  2()7,  286,  288 
Putnam   Cottage,   95,   98 
Putnam,  General,  90,  244 
Putnam  Hill,  8(),  87,  153,  155,  218, 

248 
Putnam   Terrace,   14 
Pyne,  John,  200 

Radford,  Stephen  P.,  2(i 

Radicals,    Republicans    called,    125 

Railroads,  earlv,  266,  267,  268,  269, 

270,  273,  274,  275,  276,  277,  278, 

279 
Railway    stations,    four    in    (Ireen- 

wich,  25 
Randall's    Island,    ori)han    children 

from,  visit  Liiurood.  222 
Rav,  George  S.,  wheelwright,  93 
Read.  Charles  B.,  74 
Read,   Ephraim,   180;   ])ri)pertv   of, 

261 
Red    Rock,   209 

Regattas,    in    Tweed's    day,    203 
Reynolds.  Abraham,  26 
Revnolds,  Augustus  X.,  26 
Reynolds,  (Mrs.)   Augustus  X.,  106 
Reynolds,  Gideon,  106 
Revnolds.   Frank,   V.   R..  house   of, 

13.  14 
Revnolds.    (Mrs.)    William    T..    106 
Piker's   Island,   213 
Ritch,    Thomas,    150;    projx'rtv    of, 

219 
Ritch,    (Mrs.)    Thomas.    106 
Rivers,    (Miss)    Frances   .M..   151 
Riverside.   25,   280,   282 
Roads,  ancient,  306,  307,  308,  310 
Rogers.  William  C,  200 
Round    Hill.  37,  117 
Round    Hill    Farms    Dairy,    129 
Robbins.  George.  138 
Rnl)bins.   William.  138 


Hoche.   Walter.    I!)!) 
Rorkt'fcllcr   /'ark.  S.  220 
Rockefeller,   Perc\'   A.,  pnvpertv  of, 

253 
Rockefeller,    M'illiam    (!..    i)ro))ert\- 

of,   253 
Rock    Ridge,    73,    76;    oldest   house 

in,  78;  ai)prai.sed  value  of,  83; 

sale    of,    84;    becomes    site    of 

Fresh   Air  Home  for  children, 

85 
Rockv  Xeck,  2(i.  117,  183,  190,  257, 

258,  323 

Rocky    Xeck    Comi>atn'.    the,    257, 

259,  260,  262,  265 

Rockv    Xeck    Point    18.36,    Maj)    of, 

256 
liocky  Point,  184 
Rockwood  Pake,  65 
Root,     Elihii,     junior    counsel     for 

\Vm.  M.  Tweed,  219 
Rosevelt,  George  W.,   199 
Hoshn.  213 
Round    Island,    111,    180,    182,    183, 

256;     potato     cellar     on,     83, 

182,     262;     owned     by     Oliver 

Mead,    41 ;    proposed    purchase 

bv  Town  of,  44 
Round   Hill,  288,  318,  319,  320,  321 
Kunyan,   (Mrs.)    Fanny,  263,  264 
Rural     free    deli\erv,    before    davs 

of,   25 
Russell,   Jose})h    E.,   93 
Russell,    (Mrs.)   Jose])h   E.,   106 
Rvan,  James,  200 
live  Beach,  63 


Sackett,    (Mrs.)    Aima,  253 
Sackett,   Henrv,   farm   of,  274 
Sackett,  Jnstu's,   252 
Sackett,  Justus,  Jr..  253 
Sackett,  Justus    Ralpn,   254 
Sackett,  William    II.,   253 
Sand's  Point,  263 
Sanitary    Conunissioii,    has    branch 

in  Greenwich.  138 
Sarah    Thorp,  the,  215 
Satterlee,  John,  200 
Saw]iits,  256 
Sa\les,   Solomon,   200 
Sciiaffer,  Christian  W.,  199 
Schaffer,  John,   1,38 
Schaffer,  Louis,  1.38 
Schaffer,   William    H..    199 
Schifferdcckcr.    Henrv.  305 


[lua] 


INDEX 


Schirmer,  Dr.  William,  ^00,  -20-2 
Shi])yard.  the  Palmer  &  Duff,  316 
Sohiivler,  Robert,  Pres.  New  Haven 

H.    R.,  -266 
Seofield,  (Miss)  Eliza  J.,  10(j 
Seofield,  George  E.,   115 
Seofield,  William,  1:26 
Scott,  John,  199 
Scott,  Henry,  138 
Scott,  Warren,  138 
Sea  Cliff",  212,  213 
Seaman,  Charles  H.,  134,  241 
Seaman,  (Mrs.)  Charles  H.,  106 
Second   Congregational  Church,  27, 

144,    159,    196,    197,    211,    250; 

anniversaries      of,      100,      107; 

Companv   I   assembles   in,   133; 

members    of,    38,    41,    80,    105, 

134,   211;    present    edifice   built 

1856,     100;     remodelled     1900, 

102 
Secor.  Theodocius  F.,  207 
Selectmen,  offices  of,  233,  235,  236 
Selmes,   Reeves    E.,  200 
Semloh   Farm,  66 
Senawave  Indians,  281 
Seawanhnka.  the,  212,  213,  214,  215 
Sennour,    (Miss)    Susan,    property 

of,   157 
Shandlev,   Edward  J.,   199 
Shandley,   Michael  J.,   200 
Shannon,  Josejih,  199 
Shar]>,  Jacob,  200 
Shei>ard,  Frank,  220 
Sheej)   Pen,   15,   16 
Sherman,  Roger  Minot,  attorney  in 

Davis'  Dock  suit,  71 
Sherwood,   Aaron,  138 
Sherwood,  John,  138 
Sherwood,  Stephen,  115 
Sherwood,    (Mrs.)    William   B.,   106 
Sherwood's   Bridge,  244 
Sherwood    Place,    18,    19,    115,    233, 

234 
Ship])ing,  ]ioints  of,  26 
Shook,   Sheridan,   199 
Sidewalks,  absence  of,  24 
Silleck,  Elbert  A.,  256 
Silleck,    (Mrs.)    Elbert   A.,  263 
Silleck,  George,  241 
Silleck  Ilauxe.  262,  263,  265 
Silleck,    Thaddeus,   263,    264 
Sillick,  Stei)hen,  115 
Simons,  Thomas,  258 
Skating  Pond,  old,  12 
Slaverv,  extant   in   Comi.   1815,  253 


Slosson,  Edward,  102 

Slosson,  (Mrs.)  .\nnie  Turnbull, 
102 

Smith,   Daniel,  6;  property  of,  257 

Smith,    George    Jackson,    234 

Smith,  Heniy,  199 

Smith,  John,  property  of,  257 

Smith,  William  J.,  134,  193 

Sniffin,  John,  homestead  of,  251, 
252,  253,  254,  255 

Soldiers'  Monument,  133,  233 

Sound  Beach,  25,  280,  281,  284, 
285 

Southworth,  Joseph,  199 

Sjiader,  John  D.,  258 

Spring,  the  old,  118 

Stamford,   63,   256,   282 

Stamford  Savings  Bank,  268 

Stanwich,  37,  117;  location  of,  64; 
old  church  at,  65,  66;  old  de- 
bating clubs  of,  67;  tanning 
industry  in,  66;  East,  name  ap- 
plied improperly  to  Stanwich 
Center,  67 

Sltnnrirh   Inn.  the,  65 

Stanwich  Road,  the,  291 

Staten   Island,  218 

Steward,  D.  Jackson,  102 

Stillson  Benevolent  Society,  origin 
of  name,  246 

Stillson,  (Miss)  Elizabeth,  death 
of,  246 

Stonybrooke,  291 

Stoiiington,  2(>3 

Stoothoff",  Stejihen   A.,   13 

Stores,  earlv,  17,  18,  19,  20,  21,  22, 
23,  24  ■ 

Stoves,  first  used  in  church  1818, 
112 

vStreets,  unlighted,  24 

Strong,  William  L.,  Mayor  of  New 
York,  179 

Studwell,  Capt.  Charles,  party  to 
suit  over  Davis'  Dock  owner- 
shij),  70,  71 

Sturtevant,  Xewell,  200 

Stymus,  William  P.,  199 

Sunday,  early  observance  of,  27, 
159,  160  * 

Sunken  Meadows,  the  so  called,  215 

Sweeny,   Peter  B.,   167,  169 

Talbot,  Robert,  23;  descendants  of, 

24 
Tali)ot,     William,    23;    descendants 

of,  24 


[344] 


IXDKX 


Tarrytown,  -I'.U 

Taylor,  Alcxaiultr,  .1  r.,  '^:2^ 

Taylor,    Rev.    CMiarlos    !•'.,    installed 

as  pastor,  1 1 1 
Taylor,  Robert  M..  19!) 
Taylor,  W.   B.,  ~'()1 
Ta'nimnini    ]l(tll.    early    history    of, 

I(j-','  1()5,   KiT,   1()8,   M2,   177 
Teed,    Win.     H.,    traet     so    called, 

94 
Ten  Acres,  mill  site  at,  S7;  skating 

jionil.  S7 
Thompson,   (Mrs.)    Amy   K.,  f)() 
Thom])son,    (.Miss)    Caroline,  9(j 
Thomi)son,   (.Miss)   Cornelia,  96 
Thom]>son,    (.Miss)    Harriet,  90 
Thomjison,  James,  9() 
Throgjrs'    Neck.  -'13 
Tiers,    William    M.,    7,     IJi:    home 

of,  8 
Tilden,  Samuel  .1.,  174,  175,  17(5 
Tillott,   Peter,  property  of,  157 
Tingne,  William  J.,  28,  31 
Tod,  J.  Kennedy,  280 
Tod,  William  Stewart,  ])roi)erty  of, 

320 
Todd,  Rev.  .Vhraham,  250,  251,  252; 

residence  of,  251,  252,  253 
Toll  Gate  Hill,   153,  155 
Town   Building,  original,  36 
Town   Clerk,  office  of,   155,  235 
Town  Clock,  donated  hv  .Mrs.  Jere- 
miah   Milhank,    196 
Town   Hall,  old,  233;  used  as  ren- 
dezvous   for    Comjiany    I,    133; 
new,  built  1906,  239 
Town  offices,  old,   19 
Tracy,  Hezekiah,  ]ir()])erty  of,  98 
Tracy,  John   Jay,   i)ro])erty   of,  98 
Tracy   Street,  origin  of  name,  98 
Trainer,  Peter,  200 
Trii)ler,   Thomas   K.,  200 
Trollev   cars,   first    run    in    1901.   2(i() 
Truesdale,     William     11.,     property 

of,  311 
Trumble,  "Billy,"  239,  240,  241,  242 
Tuthill.   Oscar,  ])ro|)ertv  of,   129 
Tuthill   Building,  233 
Tweed.  Charles,  219 
Tweed,  George,  219 
Tweed's  Island,  182,  184 
Tweed.    (.Miss)   Jemiie,  218 
Tweed.    (.Miss)    Josephine.  218 
Tweed,  (.Mrs.)  .Marv  Jane,  195,  198, 
220 


[34 


TveccI,  Man/  Jane,  yacht  owned  by 
Wm.  M."  Tweed,' 202,  203,  204 

Tweed  Price,  origin  of  saying;  i)ur- 
chase  of  Mead  acres  by  Tweed, 
197 

Tweed,  Ri<'hard,  218 

Tweed,  Wm.  M.,  63,  8(),  199,  202, 
203,  204,  205,  206,  207,  208,  209, 
212,  217,  218,  219,  221,  222,  223, 
225,  226,  227,  228,  229,  230,  231  ; 
life  and  characteristics  of,  161, 
165,  166,  167,  168,  169,  170,  171, 
172,  17.3,  175,  I7(),  177,  178,  179, 
180,  181,  182,  183,  184,  187,  188, 
1S9,  190,  193,  191,  19.5,  196,  197, 
198,  199;  trial  of,  1883,  161, 
176,  177;  escape  of,  177; 
])ro[>erty  of,  257 

Tweed,  Wm".  .M.,  Jr.,  217,  221 

Underhill,   Cai)tain    John,   280 
Upper  Landing,  17 

Valentine,  Captain,  303 
Valuation,   re])resented   by   taxation 

in    1859,  25 
Van  .Vrsdale,  P.  B.,  181,  187,  199 
Van  Brunt,  George  B.,  201 
^'anderbeck,  Francis,  199 
Vanderbeck,  John,  199 
Van   Tassell,   William,  200 
\'oorhis,   John,    homestead    of,    1;^.), 

2()7 

Wallace,  William  H.,  276,  277 

Walls,  ancient  stone,  76 

Wall    Street,    Clreenw  ich    investors 

in,  123 
Walsh.  Judge  James  F.,  2,  236 
Walsh,  Judge   R.  Jay,  45,  236 
War     Democrats,     fa\c)r     abolition, 

1 2:) 
Waterburx".    Geo.    P..    ])r(>i)ertv    of, 

29 1 
Watson,  James,   199 
Wat.son,  James  S.,  200 
Webb,  Henry,  ]iro))erty  of,  91 
Webster,    Daniel,    217" 
Weed,      Isaac,      7;      Postmaster     to 

1831,  35;   ]>roi)erty  of,  8,   121 
M'eed,  Jacob  T.,  287;   property  of, 

287 
Weed,  I.inus,  store  of,  19 
Welch,  John  D.,  Jr.,  200 
Wellner,  George,  14 
Wellst(K)d,  John  G.,  264,  268 

5] 


INDEX 


West  Street,  the  direct  road  to 
Bedford  from  the  Borough,  67 

Wheeler,  William  A.,  Vice-Pres.  U. 
S.  A.,  209 

White  Bridge,  the  old,  54;  money 
found  in,  59;  rendezvous  of 
crab  hunters,  (jO;  removed 
about  1880,  57;  the  robbery  at, 
58;  wreck  prevented  at,  1876, 
60 

White  House,  the,  (see  also  Silleck 
House),  '262,  26i 

White,  Captain,  Stephen  G.,  208, 
209,  213 

White,  Stephen  G.,  217;  part 
donator  of  sword,  134 

White,   (Mrs.)   Stephen  G.,  106 

White,  Warren  P.,  208 

Wliitnev,  Charles   A.,  264,  268 

Whittaker,   H.   P.,  property  of,  94 

Williamsbridge,  first  terminus  of 
H.    R.    R.,    269 

Williams,   Henry   M.,  201 

Williamson,   Robert,   195 

Wills,  Charles  T.,  261 

Wilson,  John,  138 

Wilson,  R.   R.,  writings  of,  161 

Wilson,  Thomas,  138 

Winants,  Daniel,  200 


Winthrop,      John,      Governor      of 

Mass.,  1630,  280 
Witherell,    Nathaniel,    80,    83,   324; 

becomes  owner  of  Rock  Ridge, 

84 
Witherell,   (Mrs.)   Nathaniel,  158 
Witherwax,    Pilot    Billv,    208,    209, 

210,  213,  214,  215 
Wolf,  George  G.,  200 
Wood,  Albert  H.,  201 
Wood,    Fernando,    Mavor    of    New 

York  1854,  162 
Woodward,   Elbirt   A.,   200 
Woolsev,    Aaron,    7,   286;    property 

of,'  288 
Working    Girls'    Vacation    Society, 

recreation  home  of,  85 
Wright,   Lieut.   Benjamin,   18,   106, 

137 
Wright,   (Mrs.)    Benjamin,  106 
Wright,  Charles  H.,'276,  277 
Wright,  Edward  J.,  236 
Wright,    Wilbur    S.,    property    of, 

322 

Yard,  Wesley  S.,  199 

Young,  Joseph   B.,  199 

Young,    Thomas,    tract    so    called, 

94 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  Building,  the,  158 


[346] 


University  of 
Connecticut 

Libraries 


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